Cotton Gin [Cover]
Name/Title
Cotton Gin [Cover]Description
Blue cover mailed from "COTTON GIN / MAR 10 / TEX." to “Leon and H Blum / Galveston / Texas.” This cover has a clear Cotton Gin strike on the front and a green indicium stamp on a blue envelope. First postmark on back is clear and faint "MEXIA," partially covered by second postmark "GALVESTON, TEX / MAR 11 92 / REC'D."Context
Cotton Gin, on Farm Road 1366 twelve miles west of Fairfield in western Freestone County, was established in 1848 near the site of a mule-powered cotton gin built by Dr. James S. Wills. Wills constructed the first store in the community and served as postmaster when the post office was established in 1851. The 1860 census reported that the town had 508 residents. By the 1870s it had a dozen stores, four churches, and a weekly newspaper, the Herald. Many residents moved to nearby Mexia when the Houston and Texas Central Railway bypassed Cotton Gin in 1872. This cover illustrates that history: the clear "COTTON GIN" strike on the front, to the "MEXIA" strike on the back, for further movement to "GALVESTON." The recipient, Leon and H. Blum, was organized in 1869. Despite its long prosperity, Leon and H. Blum failed during the nationwide depression of the 1890s, as did subsequent efforts to reorganize the business. After assets of the copartnership were distributed and company stock sold to the Mistrot brothers in 1896, the family-owned enterprise closed in 1908.Category
Lone Stars of David, The Handbook of Texas