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K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

The John Blue House and Cotton Gin

John Blue was an inventor and manufacturer of farm implements who lived in Scotland County in the late 1800s. His home and cotton gin as well as several restored cabins are available to tour.

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  • Eli Whitney and the cotton gin In 1794, inventor Eli Whitney patented his cotton gin, a machine for removing seeds from cotton. The invention made cotton production -- and with it, slave labor -- far more profitable, and it helped to cement the South's status as an agricultural region and a slave society.

Related pages

  • Wilbur A. Tyndall Tractor Museum: Visitors to the small town of Pink Hill will find Wilbur Tyndall's museum which is dedicated to tractors and other farm implements dating back to the early 1900s.
  • Tarkil Branch Farm's Homestead Museum: Take a trip back in time to this working farm and museum. Comprised of 32 exhibits and over 850 items, students studying North Carolina history will see what it was like living on a farm in the nineteenth century.
  • Eli Whitney and the cotton gin: In 1794, inventor Eli Whitney patented his cotton gin, a machine for removing seeds from cotton. The invention made cotton production -- and with it, slave labor -- far more profitable, and it helped to cement the South's status as an agricultural region and a slave society.

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Located on the grounds of the John Blue House are a restored and operational pre-Civil War cotton gin, authentic log cabins, and the newly acquired Cotton Blossom Railroad. The house is currently the home to the Scotland County Parks & Recreation Department. Tours of the house and grounds are available Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Phone(910)277-2585 for more information.

Also see these pictures of the John Blue House from NC ECHO and these images from a UC Berkeley student’s work on the history of cotton production.

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