The Restoration Project

The Restoration Project. Texas Cotton Gin Museum. The Burton Farmers Gin lay dormant from 1974 to 1986. In 1986 a group of concerned citizens, headed by Douglas Hutchinson, originally from Burton, Ohio, formed Operation Restoration, Inc. (O.R.I. as it would become known) in an effort to save the Burton Farmers Gin from demolition. Ora "Nell" (Wehring) Moseley will forever be remembered in the Burton community for her efforts during those restoration years. As the daughter of Henry C. Wehring - (gin manager for 38 years) Nell kept the legacy of cotton alive in her role as membership chairman for ORI and later Burton Cotton Gin Museum. A group of investors out of Houston, TX wanted to build a strip center popular in the '70's - on the gin property, with visions of tearing down the old gin to achieve their purpose. The gin building itself was saved. However, they did build their little shopping strip - which included a Laundromat, a liquor store and office. As the years unfolded - in 1999 this strip center would become home of the Burton Cotton Gin. The gin was recognized to be the last intact turn-of-the-century air-system cotton gin and was noted by Museum. The the National Trust for Historic Preservation as “...a resource of astounding integrity almost unheralded in its field". In 1989 ORI became a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and raised the funds to purchase the gin. Restoration of the Burton Farmers Gin began in 1990. In an effort to raise the money for restoring the 1925 Bessemer, ORI reached out to the Burton community in creating the Burton Cotton Gin Festival...an event that has continued annually since 1990. Families come to celebrate King cotton and heritage of a small German community., The Creation of a Museum , In 1999, a museum was created to tell the story of the Burton Farmers Gin. Now that the restoration process was over, Operation Restoration, Inc. changed its name to the Burton Cotton Gin and Museum, Inc. In 2009, the 81st Texas State Legislature passed a resolution declaring the Burton Cotton Gin and Museum as "The Official Cotton Gin Museum of Texas". Governor Rick Perry signed the resolution on June 19, 2009. On February 10, 2010, the organization changed its name to reflect the designation and became the Texas Cotton Gin Museum, Inc., Mission Statement , The Mission of the Texas Cotton Gin Museum is to keep the Legacy of Cotton alive for all generations, through the maintenance and preservation of the Burton Farmers Gin - the oldest operating cotton gin in America., The First Bale After Restoration , The initial restoration focus was on the Bessemer engine. A $5,000 grant from Cooper Industries provided the funding for most of the expenses for repairs to the engine. Parts, materials, and services were donated by many companies and machine shops from throughout the state of Texas. The ginning equipment and building were inspected and found to be in surprisingly good condition. After two years of work, by a dedicated group of volunteers, the engine was started on February 29, 1992. It would be in April, 1994 at the 5th annual Burton Cotton Gin Festival, the Burton Farmers Gin produced its first bale of cotton after 20 years of dormancy., Designations , The Burton Farmers Gin is designated a National Historic Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers; recognized by the Smithsonian Institution; listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Texas Historic Landmark by the Texas Historical Commission., "Keeping the Legacy of Cotton Alive!", All Photos Courtesy TCGM Archives