The
Burton Cotton Gin Museum in Burton, Texas, still occasionally produces
old-style, standard 500 pound bales of hand-picked cotton, bound with metal
straps and jute bagging, using the Burton Farmers' Gin's original machinery
(circa 1914 to the 1950s).
These
would be the authentic bales of cotton for the 1890 to 1960 era.
Before the 1890s, there was much variation in bale dimensions and weight,
although the 500 pound range was considered the general standard for quite some
time prior to the widespread enforcement of uniformity demanded by the
railroads starting in the 1880s or so. The 500 pound bales made at small
local gins (located every 15 miles of so in cotton country) were usually shipped
by rail to a centralized processing site where the bales could be further
compacted by a giant steam compress (such as at the Galveston docks in the early
1900s) so more bales could be wedged into the holds of cargo
ships.
Contact the museum through the website about obtaining authentic bales
from any surplus stock they may have on hand.
Todd Stockwell
Curator of Agriculture, Industry & Technology
Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites
650 W. Washington Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204-2725
(317)
232-8270, fax (317)233-8268
[log in to unmask]
Hey ya’ll:
I’m looking for a source for cotton
bales – real or fake. I would like the cotton baled – or bound - as it would
have been in the mid to late 1800s. The smaller the bale the better.
Thank you kindly,
--
John W. Kelton
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