Old cotton gin donated to university

An 1880s and a 1920s cotton gin are the latest additions to agricultural engineering classes.

Joe Jim Hogan of Oxford donated the cotton gin stands to the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering this spring. The older of the steam-powered machines could process four-to-six bales of cotton a day; the newer could gin eight in a day. Both cotton gins came to the university with various parts necessary to gin cotton.

"I thought maybe the university could use them in some way to show people how the old gins were made," Hogan said.

The older gin, built in Atlanta by the E. Van Winkle Gin Co. and Machine Works, is believed to be very rare. The Continental Gin Co. made the newer one.

Herb Willcutt, agricultural engineer with the extension service, said the university plans to get the newer gin into operating condition.

"Both gins are in very good condition, considering their age," he said. "These cotton gin stands are very useful to compare cotton gins of the present to yesterday. They are extremely valuable as teaching tools and pieces of history."

Once the 1920s gin is working, it will be displayed in various demonstrations. Both will become part of the gin technology emphasis area of the agricultural engineering technology and business program within the ag and biological engineering department.

The newer gin will be on permanent display in the Pace Seed Lab, along with a small, state-of-the-art laboratory gin for teaching and ginning samples.

The older model will be housed in the Agricultural and Biological Engineering Building, where it eventually will be restored and possibly used in a traveling display in other areas where cotton is ginned, according to Willcutt.