As was the case in so many small Texas towns in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the cotton gin in Edom was a major element in the economy. First opened at this site in 1918 by Ro Dike, who moved his ginning operation here from Davidson (3 mi. W), the gin was owned and operated by local merchant C. W. Morris beginning in 1924. For approximately 4 months in the late summer and early fall, most activities revolved around ginning. Some 700 to 800 farmers depended on the local cotton gin. In peak season the gin was known to operate 24 hours a day. The original Continental Gin Company machinery burned in 1929 and was replaced with modern diesel-powered equipment manufactured by the Murray Gin Company. During the 1930s the gin processed an average of 3 to 4 bales of cotton per hour. The gin shut down about 1946. (1999) Incise on base: Historian: John Bryant Beall