In Edom, the cotton gin was a major part of the local economy, as in many small Texas towns in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It first opened at this site in 1918 when Ro Dike moved his ginning operation from Davidson, 3 mi. west, and local merchant C.W. Morris owned and operated it beginning in 1924. For about 4 months in late summer and early fall, much of community activity revolved around ginning, and some 700 to 800 farmers depended on the gin. At peak season it 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 before shutting down about 1946.