GROUNDBREAKING FRIDAY FOR NEW PAVILION AT COTTON GIN MUSEUM

  

A groundbreaking ceremony tomorrow (Friday) will commemorate the beginning of work on a new covered pavilion at the Texas Cotton Gin Museum in Burton.

The ceremony for the new Oliver Whitener Pavilion will be held at 1:30 p.m.

The pavilion, named in honor of longtime community supporter Oliver Whitener, will expand capacity for the annual Cotton Gin Festival and other events.  Additional updates will include expanded parking and a revamp of the museum’s Legacy Brick Pathway.

Whitener, who lived from 1920-2005, was a lifelong rancher.  He served on the Burton School Board for 20 years, the Blinn Board of Trustees for 12 years, as a board member and chairman of Burton State Bank for 27 years, and as a charter member of the Burton Lions Club for 32 years.  In 2005, he was named the Washington County Chamber of Commerce’s Man of the Year.

According to the museum, Whitener was well-known for his hobby of carving unique ball-in-a-cage wooden walking canes.  He carved over 500 canes and gave away more than 450 of them, including several each year to Burton organizations, including the museum, for fundraisers.  During his lifetime, almost $90,000 was raised for local organizations from the sale of his canes.

The new pavilion is expected to be complete by March 2022.