City Directories and History: Ruff’s historic cotton gin circa 1947, was a central feature of downtown Ridgeway. Cotton was hauled from nearby farms by mule wagons to unload the cotton at the gin. The gin separated the seed from the fibers and the fiber was then baled into
Gins were normally operated as a side business to the local store. Farmers delivered their cotton for ginning to the store’s location and were most often given credit at the store for goods.
500 lb. unites for shipping by rail to buyers. The Ruff’s took a small fee for both ginning and baling the cotton. In some cases, farmers would have secured loans from local stores, such as the Ruff’s, to acquire seed,
Postal Map of part of Fairfield Co., ca. 1896. Note Ridgeway is the location where the railroad abruptly changes course heading west rather than north. Image courtesy of the Un. of N.C.
equipment, fertilizer, etc. and were required to bring their cotton to the Ruff’s gin for processing. In this manner, the store could help insure that the customer’s bills were paid.
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