CROWDS FILL BURTON FOR ANNUAL COTTON GIN FESTIVAL
The 33rd Annual Burton Cotton Gin Festival drew thousands of people to Burton on Saturday to celebrate the oldest operating cotton gin in the nation.
Attendees enjoyed a day full of entertainment with a parade, live music, shopping at dozens of vendors, farming and folk life demonstrations, antique farm equipment, contests and tours of Burton’s 1914 cotton gin.
Burton Cotton Gin Museum Director Steph Jarvis estimates between 3,200 and 4,000 people came to Burton for the festival, which she says is all about showcasing Burton’s unique history.
Proceeds from the festival and the shrimp boil fundraiser held the night before go directly into the operation of the Cotton Gin Museum and the preservation of the historic gin.
In 2009, the gin was designated as the Official Cotton Gin Museum of Texas. It has also been designated as a Texas Historic Landmark by the Texas Historical Commission, named by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers as a National Historic Engineering Landmark, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
