Belton Farmers Co-op Gin

Belton was dependent on the cotton industry from the 1880s to the 1940s, and it scored a big win when the building of a new gin was announced in 1927. The building was located at the site of the old flour mill and wagon yard properties bordering Nolan Creek and only a block from the courthouse square. Gin planners boasted that it would have state-of-the art machinery to produce the highest grade of cotton. There were several gins operating around Belton in the 1920s, but the Belton Farmers Co-op Gin is unique as a rare example of a surviving brick cotton gin. Most gins were frame structures with wood or sheet metal cladding. The two-story rectangular building has a sheet-metal hipped roof and a small cupola near the center. The Texas Historical Commission erected an historical marker on the site in 2012. 

Financed by the Texas Farm Bureau Cotton Association, the building was constructed of fire-proof brick, cement, and iron for insurance purposes. The only timber used was in the rafters, high above the usual source of fires. Actual construction began in July 1927 as crews of men were hired to dig out the foundations and pour a new “fire-proof, water-proof, rat-proof foundation which will extend two feet about the ground-line.” The main building was 24 by 80 feet with brick walls 20-feet high. The gin office was in a separate building immediately in front of the gin where two wagon scales were located. A seed house, east of the gin, was also built of brick with an iron roof. Adjacent to the gin property, another brick building was utilized as a storehouse for cotton. A retaining wall was constructed along the creek and numerous trees were planted to beautify the area.

The gin had three main work areas. The operator removed raw cotton from the wagons. The gin stands separated lint fiber from the seeds which were dropped into an auger trough for storage in the seed house. The hydraulic press formed the fibers into bales wrapped in burlap. The management of the gin fell to Lynn Stokes of Ballinger, the Farm Bureau’s gin supervisor, and to T. W. Hander of Belton, a state director. T. W. Hunt of Dallas, an employee of the Continental Gin Machinery Company, was on hand for about six months to ensure proper operation of the gin and make needed adjustments. Ginners were Tom Lusk and Harry Jones. Press men were Jim Huey, Travis Brock, W.E. Hall, and G.F. Thomas. Sucker operators were Roy Tant and Jack Bigham; truck man was Elmer Mins; and bookkeeper was Miss Mabel Casey.

In anticipation of the new gin, Farm Bureau officials and city leaders held a celebratory barbecue with speeches, music, and farm stunts at the city park on August 20, 1927. A trial run of the equipment proved successful, and all systems were a go. The opening of the gin was delayed until the end of the month until the wagon scales arrived and were installed. Cotton usually started rolling in during late August or early September, if the boll weevils, root rot, big rainstorm, sharpshooters, leaf worms, boll worms, or some other unforeseen calamity did not interfere. Cotton Association insurance was provided for all cotton the moment it was checked into the yard. The farmer who had the honor of bringing in the first bale received free processing. For their convenience, farmers had options for the processing of their crops. On busy days, those who did not want to wait their turns in line were able to have their cotton sucked into a storage bin and processed later. The baled cotton and cottonseed oil were waiting for him the next time he came to town. Another option was to have the gin truck pick up the load from the field and bring it to town, thus allowing the field hands to continue working without interruption. In 1928, the Belton Journal reported that the cotton gins were humming, and 91 bales of strict middling cotton had been processed by August 23.

 The gin name changed to Texas Cotton Growers Gin Co. about 1930 as local agricultural producers made plans to form a cooperative venture for buying and selling their goods. In 1935 the Belton Farmers Co-operative Gin was incorporated under the auspices of the Farmland Cooperative in Kansas City and located across from the gin. When the cotton gin ceased operations in about 1956, the building was used as storage for the co-op. It continued to serve the needs of farmers and ranchers until 2004 when it went on the auction block. Private investors purchased the site with plans for a restaurant. In 2005, the property was rezoned to a central business district with a specific use permit for a private club. City leaders submitted a grant application for TxDOT funds in 2006, hoping to develop the gin into a visitor’s center and office space. In 2007, the city offered tax incentives and public improvements to developers in exchange for an investment of at least $1 million in the restaurant project, a parking plan along with creation of at least 20 jobs. The Gin at Nolan Creek opened in 2011 as part of a unique restaurant complex where the history of Belton’s cotton industry has been preserved. 

“$30,000 Modern Gin to be Erected in Belton This Yr.” Belton Journal, July 7, 1927.

“A Short History of Belton and the Gin at Nolan Creek.” https://theginatnolancreek.com/history/

Disbrowe, Paula. “Belton’s Gin at Nolan Creek Serves Comfort Food with Side of History.” Texas Highways Magazine, June 14, 2017.

“Farm Bureau Gin is Adding Cotton Storage House to Already Fine Equipment.” Belton Journal, August 23, 1928.

“Farm Bureau Gin Will Soon Be in Operation Here.” Belton Journal, August 25, 1927.

“Farmers to Celebrate Opening of Their New Gin.” Belton Journal, August 18, 1927.

Romer, Paul A. “Plan Aims to Develop Cotton Gin; Belton Council to Decide on OK for Negotiations. Temple Daily Telegram, Dec 11, 2007.

Sanders, Karen. “Belton Farmers Co-op.” Belton Journal, March 18, 1999.

“Work Started on Farm Bureau’s Fire-Proof Gin.” Belton Journal, July 14, 1927.