The Cotton Trade - Greenville, TX
N 33° 08.376 W 096° 06.381
14S E 769932 N 3670491
A Greenville Main Street historical marker at 2501 Johnson St, Greenville, TX, notes the importance of cotton to the city, with some background on what it took to make a buck from it.
Waymark Code: WMWWN5
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 10/23/2017
Views: 1
The marker reads:
Cotton brokers once occupied many of the second story offices in downtown Greenville. During the cotton harvest in the fall, their buyers inspected the cotton brought in by farmers to determine its quality and, therefore, its price -- the longer the fibers, the more desirable and valuable the cotton.
At the height of the harvest season, wagons filled with cotton surrounded the courthouse square as buyers negotiated with farmers for their crop. The buyers pulled small tufts of cotton from each bale to assess the quality. At the end of a busy trading day the bargaining left fluffy white drifts of cotton in a "snowfall" around the courthouse.
Cotton was an important cash crop. A cotton farmer's prosperity was directly related to the number of mules he owned. Two mules were needed to work 30 to 40 acres, 4 mules could handle 50 to 70 acres. Before the use of mechanical pickers, schools scheduled classes around the cotton harvest so children could help with the picking.
Greenville Main Street
Group that erected the marker: Greenville Main Street
URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: [Web Link]
Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary:
2501 Johnson St
Greenville, TX USA
75401
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Visit Instructions:
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