Many old family names were associated with the early economy which was primarily based upon agriculture, with the central focus upon the cotton gins. The economy was in it's prime from about the late 1800's until the mid 1900's when the gin closed. Local businesses closed as business owners retired and larger neighboring towns became more accessible.
The Geronimo economy has
been revived in the past 5 to 10 years with the tourist industry.
A growing appreciation for history and nostalgia has resulted in the opening
of several novelty and antique shops. The desire of parents to send
their children to a smaller school has also been a major factor in the
recent growth of the community.
| Agriculture
and Gin Companies
In approximately the late 1850's, C. B. Schramm from Germany opened the first gin, horse driven, in Geronimo. E. Schramm found farmers and contracted with them through a written guarantee that they would bring their cotton to his gin. The first recorded account of this was in 1871. Von Boeckmann, who owned a vrine (a German clubhouse), owned land on both sides of Geronimo. He, Timmerman, and another investor bought the Schram Gin, tore it down, then built the Geronimo Gin probably during the 1890's, (top right) and was known as von Boeckmann Gin at the time.minutes of gin company The gin was steam driven and used wood purchased from the farmers to fuel the fire to make steam. By 1900 E. von Boeckmann sold the gin to his sons, Edgar and Charles von Boeckmann.Go To TopGuadalupe County Courthouse Deed book 15, pages 405-407. These same investors ventured into other businesses. They ginned their own cotton first which angered the other farmers. C. Bading |
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| In 1909, The farmers organized,
formed the Farmers' Union Gin Company and built the Farmers' Union Gin
(middle right) where Geronimo Antiques is currently located (lower right).
[After the gin closed, the building was converted into a gymnasium for Navarro School. It served as the Evan's Honey Shack for a few years in the 1960's and 1970's. It is currently Geronimo Antiques. (bottom right)]Go To Top The Farmers' Union Gin bought out the von Boeckmann Gin in 1917 and both gins were used both at the same time. In 1920, The board of directors officially adopted the name "The Geronimo Gin Company" and a seal was made. The simultaneous operation of the two gins continued for several years until the directors closed the original gin (Farmers' Union) and continued ginning with the improved Geronimo Gin. The Geronimo Gin North Seed House was known as "The Eagle Hotel" because a man often slept in it, probably intoxicated, as per the reliable older community members' grapevine throughout the years. During the 1970's, cotton root rot became a major problem for the farmers. More and more farmers quit growing cotton and began to depend more upon milo, corn, wheat and hay crops. The major livestock raised in the area include cattle, sheep, hogs, and in more recent years, goats. The decline in cotton production resulted in the closing it's doors and its books in 1977.Go To Top |
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