Simmons Cotton Gin - Booneville, Arkansas
Memories from the readers.........
Casper Green - I vaguely remember the gin. My memory is probably fuzzy on the location because I was probably 6 or 7 years old when I remember seeing it. Everyone knows where the Bearcat restaurant is. I believe the cotton gin was about a block East of where the Bearcat is currently located. I remember going and watching the gin operate. The cotton, seeds and all, would be run through the gin and "miraculously" to me, the cotton would be separated from the seeds and the seeds would come out one chute and the cotton would come out another. Usually, as I remember, the gin operator - or somebody - would buy the cotton lint from the farmer who brought the cotton into the gin, and the farmer would take the cotton seeds home for feed for his animals.
Dick Dorrough - I guess this was the last cotton gin in Booneville. It belonged to Howard Simmon's Dad. There also was a gin store in the rock bldg. that you see in the left corner of the picture that stocked groceries and all kinds of farm stuff that you could take credit from your cotton and buy. There also was a cotton gin located just East across the railroad tracks from the location of the Simmons gin. This was about the location of Gene Remey's office now. I do not rememer who this gin belonged to. Also, I believe there was another gin on the location where the Bill Allen "Blue Bird Motel" stands or use to. I haven't been down that way in such a long time it may be gone now. Does anyone remember the Burns grocery store that stood just across the railroad tracks from Simmons rock bldg? Back many year ago some Boys, I will not call names (not me) was walking down the railroad tracks one morning in the deep winter time and this boy was dared by the other ones to stick his tongue to the tracks. He called the dare and his tongue stuck to the tracks and could not get loose. One of the other boys went to the Burns store and they called the railroad roundhouse and they had to send a frieght engine down and heated up the tracks and got him loose. This is like Fred Tate's store but it is also true.
Raymond Pendergrass - Joyce there were tow cotton gins in Booneville prior to WWII. My dad and Clem Acuff owned one that was just East of the grocery store on the opposite side of the RR tracks from the Bearcat. It was about 4 blocks East of there, perhaps more. As casper said the operation of a cotton gin was something else to behold. I used to play on the bales after they were "banded." The noise was awesome when the gin was running, one had to be careful of the huge belts that turned the machinery. I don't know when the gin was torn down as dad closed it shortly before WWII as the poultry, egg, and chicken business along with reduced cotton production made so many.
Casper Green - I vaguely remember the gin. My memory is probably fuzzy on the location because I was probably 6 or 7 years old when I remember seeing it. Everyone knows where the Bearcat restaurant is. I believe the cotton gin was about a block East of where the Bearcat is currently located. I remember going and watching the gin operate. The cotton, seeds and all, would be run through the gin and "miraculously" to me, the cotton would be separated from the seeds and the seeds would come out one chute and the cotton would come out another. Usually, as I remember, the gin operator - or somebody - would buy the cotton lint from the farmer who brought the cotton into the gin, and the farmer would take the cotton seeds home for feed for his animals.
Dick Dorrough - I guess this was the last cotton gin in Booneville. It belonged to Howard Simmon's Dad. There also was a gin store in the rock bldg. that you see in the left corner of the picture that stocked groceries and all kinds of farm stuff that you could take credit from your cotton and buy. There also was a cotton gin located just East across the railroad tracks from the location of the Simmons gin. This was about the location of Gene Remey's office now. I do not rememer who this gin belonged to. Also, I believe there was another gin on the location where the Bill Allen "Blue Bird Motel" stands or use to. I haven't been down that way in such a long time it may be gone now. Does anyone remember the Burns grocery store that stood just across the railroad tracks from Simmons rock bldg? Back many year ago some Boys, I will not call names (not me) was walking down the railroad tracks one morning in the deep winter time and this boy was dared by the other ones to stick his tongue to the tracks. He called the dare and his tongue stuck to the tracks and could not get loose. One of the other boys went to the Burns store and they called the railroad roundhouse and they had to send a frieght engine down and heated up the tracks and got him loose. This is like Fred Tate's store but it is also true.
Raymond Pendergrass - Joyce there were tow cotton gins in Booneville prior to WWII. My dad and Clem Acuff owned one that was just East of the grocery store on the opposite side of the RR tracks from the Bearcat. It was about 4 blocks East of there, perhaps more. As casper said the operation of a cotton gin was something else to behold. I used to play on the bales after they were "banded." The noise was awesome when the gin was running, one had to be careful of the huge belts that turned the machinery. I don't know when the gin was torn down as dad closed it shortly before WWII as the poultry, egg, and chicken business along with reduced cotton production made so many.
