burton cotton gin and museum

Great up close and personal walking tour of the oldest cotton gin in America. Our guide was a wealth of information and the tour was very informative and full of interesting facts. Lots of opportunity for hands on all the way through to the end. We were introduced to the story of cotton from seed germination, growing, picking, bringing it to the gin, through to the finished bale. After touring the gin, we saw a short film of the gin we viewed in action and then a demonstration of how the process of separation works by watching a mini gin. Be sure to ask about the can of potato sticks. You will be amazed at how many items you have in your kitchen that contain cotton seed oil. Our guide was from a cotton farming family and brought the experience to life with his insightful perception of the history of cotton in Texas.

Burton, Texas is a small town of 300 residents. One would never think there is something worth seeing here. The Burton Cotton Gin and Museum is worth seeing. We have all heard about Eli Whitney and his amazing cotton gin. It is really something to see a real gin built over a hundred years ago which is still in working order. They run it every April and make several bales of cotton. There are tours every day at 10:00 and 2:00. Our guide Jerry gave us a soup to nuts tour and explanation of how the gin operated. Very interesting. We also watched a couple movies which included film of the gin in actual operation. This place is off highway 290 just west of Brenham. Stop here and spend a couple hours and take the tour. You will never regret it.

This is an enlightening two-hour, hands-on presentation covering cotton from its germination through to processing for shipment using a still functional cotton gin as a teaching aid. The tour guide drew on his family's experience as cotton farmers to add a personal touch to a well-founded explanation of how cotton is grown, picked, and processed. The tour moves quickly through the various stages of processing using equipment installed in the 1920s and still functional, once a year, to demonstrate the principles of processing cotton. Points raised during the tour are reinforced by a 15-minute video at the end of the session. The guide answered every question with details and even provided some cotton humor as an extra. This is well worth the admission price ($6) and the time invested. Everyone who wears blue jeans will benefit from the insight provided.

This tiny town in Texas has preserved an old cotton gin and has a museum as well. We were passing through Burton, Texas and my husband noticed a small sign advertising the Burton Cotton Gin and Museum. We stopped and were greeted by Linda, the Director. A former teacher and resident of Burton, she brings the history of Burton to life. She is very proud of her town and rightfully so. She has a gift for educating people and her enthusiasm is contagious. She makes you feel so welcome at this museum. If I am ever near Burton I will stop in again so I can visit some more with this very interesting woman. The displays are very nice. There is a small scale gin that will actually gin small handfuls of cotton and that is located in the museum. The Burton Gin has been restored and they run it during special events. Please stop at this museum if you are in the area, There is a short 12 minute video narrated by Linda. You can watch the Burton Gin as it is running. You can purchase a copy to share with family and friends. There is also a small gift store in the museum.Cannot say enough great things about this place. This is a small towns heritage that has been restored and very worth the stop.

Totally quaint and out in the middle of nowhere, but the tour was terrific. My kids loved seeing the inner workings of the cotton gin and getting walked through the whole process from trucking in raw cotton to trucking out finished bales. Great family field trip!

Were in Brenham for the weekend and decided to drive to Burton to check out the Cotton Gin Museum. It was a fascinating couple of hours. Our guide was a wealth of knowledge and seemed very passionate about the gin and the history of the area and how important cotton was to it. Wasn't sure what to expect, but I'm sure glad we checked it out. Great for school tours and group tours I'm sure. Loved our time there.

You will view a short 15 minute video before the tour begins about how a cotton gin operates. Then the curator comes in and talks for a few minutes and answers any questions. It was very interesting and the tour is informative if you are in to rediscovering things as they were at the turn of the century. We also had lunch at the Burton Street Café, which features some dishes from the German influence in the town.

We were the only two visitors this morning, but the docent (so embarrassed we didn't get his name!) gave us the full 1 1/2 hour tour of a truly operational steam powered cotton gin--the only one in the United States. It was fascinating to learn the process from picking in the field to the picking up of your baled cotton a short time after delivering to the gin. The docent engaged us in the story, making it personal. A nice touch: the video came at the end, so served as a review of what we had learned and helped us remember so much new material. This little village has a genuine jewel, so do take the time to visit.

They only start up the gin during the once a year celebration. My 11 year old son and I really enjoyed the tour and film clips. Very informative on the importance of cotton in the early 1900's.

We stopped here and too the tour, with one of the most passionate tour guides we've ever had - learned about cotton, the cotton gin, and got some cotton to take home with us too. :)

We were part of large group and we were treated to the Diesel engine up and running. There were also tour guides telling us so many interesting things. They were very knowledgeable. My husband works in safety at a large corporation and I kept expecting to find him keeled over from a heart attack at the difference in the procedures the workers used to deal with and what is required to protect workers now. I didn't think to ask about work related accidents in the old days.PS. "Gin" is short for engine.

This is great place to visit if you love history. Our guide was knowledgeable and knew how to interact with tour visitors to keep things humming along. We had a great time stepping back into time to see how cotton farmers had to really hustle to make a living. There are narrow stairs involved as part of the tour so wear comfortable shoes. It is the oldest operating cotton gin in the country and a short film sums up the history of the facility. There are only two tours offered each day it is open. The tour and museum are very enjoyable and very educational.

We were on our road trip and saw the sign for the museum. We stopped around 11 am and had unfortunately come too late for the 10am tour and too early for the 2 pm tour. However, Linda graciously showed my daughter how to "gin" some cotton. She was full of information about the process , the gin and cotton growing in Texas. This is about 5 minutes off the highway and is well worth a stop. Linda is very patient and engaging especially with kids who like to touch and feel things. There is no fee for the museum and video, but a there is a fee for the gin tour.

We loved the tour. I got there early so I had time to look around the museum, view the quilt and ask a few questions. The tour guide had family in the cotton business and knew his stuff. This was a fun, informative tour.

This historic cotton gin is located 10 miles east of Round Top. Every year in April the little community of Burton puts the old gin into operation at their annual Cotton Gin Festival. They have tractor pulling contests, antique tractors and implements, plenty of food and drink and lots of street vendors. It is a great place to go 70 miles from Austin just off Hwy 290 and 80 miles from Houston. We own a B&B and cabin rental service nearby and are surprised how few people know of this unique attraction. April is when the bluebonnets and wildflowers are at their most beautiful time in these parts.