Milam County Historical Commission
Milam County, Texas
Milam County, Texas
'King Cotton’ ruled Milam in early 1900s'
Milam County History by Charles King
Rockdale Reporter - 2015-08-27
The construction of railroads gave added emphasis to the development of agriculture in early Milam County and cotton quickly became the chief cash crop.
Cotton was marketed along the Houston and Texas Central Railroad when that line was extended to pass within a few miles east of Milam County.
William Oxsheer is given the credit for building one of the first gins in the county, his gin could handle three bales a day.
A horse treadmill was operated by William Mowdy at Yarrelton in 1872. Another gin was built on the river banks in what is known as Marlow.
By 1894, Fred A. Graves operated a large steam gin at his farm in Lilac. Billy Shields had a gin in Tracy.
Tom Lantrys moved a gin to Hanover in 1896.
There was a gin on the Watt farm at Lake City where square bales were first ginned. Sam Smith owned the first gin at Ad Hall, which was operated by a horse treadmill.
In 1896, Cameron had three cotton ginning plants. One had eight 70-saw gin stands and a complete electric light system.
The Abbott gin, oldest in Cameron, had a private electric light system. In 1906, R.L Batte owned two double battery gins.
A few years later A.N. Weems built a double battery gin, equal to two regular gins.
The Matyastik gin was built in 1928, and the Slocumb gin a few years later. Cameron also had a cotton oil mill with a crushing capacity of 50 tons of seed per day, and a compress capable of handling 1800 bales daily.
Ben Arnold’s first gin was built in 1892 by Bob White Sr., and the second was erected in 1906 by O.R. Looney.
Burlington’s first gin was built on the John Nolan farm in 1887. By 1907 there were three gins in operation in Burlington.
Clarkson’s first gym was built by Jim Wingo and J.E. Flynn.
Dick Angell provided the land in 1906 for a community gin at Walker’s Creek. R.L. Batte built the gin and sold shares in it to the farmers.
Jones Prairie had the Colliers gin and the Jones Prairie gin in its early days. Maysfield did not get a gin until 1920.
There was a gin at Pettibone in 1914, and Buckholts had two gins in 1903.
R.L. Batte built gins at Tracy and Yarrelton, and San Gabriel had a gin in the 1920’s built by Frank Worley.
Throughout the county there were community gins like the Star Gin Association in Milano.
In Cameron there was The Union Cotton Yard, The Cameron Compress Company, and The Milam County Oil Mill Company.
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Milam County History by Charles King
Rockdale Reporter - 2015-08-27
The construction of railroads gave added emphasis to the development of agriculture in early Milam County and cotton quickly became the chief cash crop.
Cotton was marketed along the Houston and Texas Central Railroad when that line was extended to pass within a few miles east of Milam County.
William Oxsheer is given the credit for building one of the first gins in the county, his gin could handle three bales a day.
A horse treadmill was operated by William Mowdy at Yarrelton in 1872. Another gin was built on the river banks in what is known as Marlow.
By 1894, Fred A. Graves operated a large steam gin at his farm in Lilac. Billy Shields had a gin in Tracy.
Tom Lantrys moved a gin to Hanover in 1896.
There was a gin on the Watt farm at Lake City where square bales were first ginned. Sam Smith owned the first gin at Ad Hall, which was operated by a horse treadmill.
In 1896, Cameron had three cotton ginning plants. One had eight 70-saw gin stands and a complete electric light system.
The Abbott gin, oldest in Cameron, had a private electric light system. In 1906, R.L Batte owned two double battery gins.
A few years later A.N. Weems built a double battery gin, equal to two regular gins.
The Matyastik gin was built in 1928, and the Slocumb gin a few years later. Cameron also had a cotton oil mill with a crushing capacity of 50 tons of seed per day, and a compress capable of handling 1800 bales daily.
Ben Arnold’s first gin was built in 1892 by Bob White Sr., and the second was erected in 1906 by O.R. Looney.
Burlington’s first gin was built on the John Nolan farm in 1887. By 1907 there were three gins in operation in Burlington.
Clarkson’s first gym was built by Jim Wingo and J.E. Flynn.
Dick Angell provided the land in 1906 for a community gin at Walker’s Creek. R.L. Batte built the gin and sold shares in it to the farmers.
Jones Prairie had the Colliers gin and the Jones Prairie gin in its early days. Maysfield did not get a gin until 1920.
There was a gin at Pettibone in 1914, and Buckholts had two gins in 1903.
R.L. Batte built gins at Tracy and Yarrelton, and San Gabriel had a gin in the 1920’s built by Frank Worley.
Throughout the county there were community gins like the Star Gin Association in Milano.
In Cameron there was The Union Cotton Yard, The Cameron Compress Company, and The Milam County Oil Mill Company.
.
All Credit for this article
goes to Charles King
and the
Rockdale Reporter
goes to Charles King
and the
Rockdale Reporter