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From about 1880 to the early 1920s, residents of Wattsville, Hall and other nearby towns used a cotton gin located here. Brothers Zechariah John and Thomas Watts settled the area ca. 1855, building the gin and also a general store and blacksmith shop. A man-made dirt dam, later known as the gin tank, collected rain water to power the gin, which was used to bale cotton and also to grind corn and cottonseed. After John's death, his wife, Ada, applied for and received licenses from the state and federal governments to operate the gin, becoming one of few women to do so. Today, the remaining gin tank serves as a reminder of the vital role of the Wattsville gin and the Watts family in developing this area of Caldwell County. (2010) |
