Hunt Co., TX - News: Swift Gin at Celeste Sold
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Swift Gin at Celeste Sold to Brownfield Family and Moved There This Week
    It is with regret that any institution is lost to our town--but a changed
economy--cotton to cattle raising--has caused the change from the one time four
gins to only one now.
    The gin in the southwest part of town has been under Swift Company
management since 1938.
    This gin was built in 1918 by J. W. McKee with co-owners, the late T. J.
Neely and a Wolfe City Mill.  It was built primarily for the ginning of
certified seed, but changed to all custom ginning by 1926 when the company
alone owned the gin and used Rome Setzler as manager for two years.  Mr. Dave
Collins was manager for several years.
    During the years 1936-1937, the Coop Gin here leased this gin from the
Farmers Oil Company, Farmersville.
    In 1938, the Swift Company became owners and hired H. F. Lewis as manager.
He continued in this capacity until through the 1954 season.  For three years,
the late T. J. Gibson managed the plant and for the past two years, E. E. Berry
has been manager.
    Long time local workers at this plant are Byird Glasscoe, Howard Roach, Roy
Lanier, E. H. Blankenship, and Jack Bolton.
    The machinery is being dismantled and moved this week by the Spencer
family, a father and two sons who are ginners, west and southwest of
Brownfield, Texas.  This makes three gins in that area for them.  They plan to
gin 6,000 bales with this plant this season and are well pleased with the type
of plant they have purchased, according to the young man interviewed.  They
have an all steel building ready.
(August 19, 1960, The Celeste Courier)