through the scale house window

 

My grandfather W O, Fortenberry purchased the gin at New Deal (then known as Monroe) in 1929.  He sold the ginning business in 1952 to devote time to farming and oil interests.  The gin operated as New Deal Gin for many years then shut down and the place was vacant.  This year my nephew purchased a portion of the original gin land, including the scale house and gin building.  The scale house, which was also the office, still has the original walk-in vault and the Fairbanks-Morse scales.  The scales just need to be recertified to be used again.  The Fortenberry legacy lives on.

 

Fortenberry Farms

New Deal, Texas