Main Exhibit Building America's Crop - Cotton Did you know that
cotton yields 215 pairs of blue jeans? The story told shows how
cotton money filtered throughout America's economy in the 1840s
and beyond. The exchange of cotton between the United States and
Britain was an exchange of cotton goods and money that reached
the rest of the world. Premechanized Cotton Production This
display shows farming implements used in cotton production and
cotton plants at different stages of production including land
preparation, planting and caring for the crop until harvest.
Cotton Moves West Railroads and steamboats move America's crop
throughout the country for export and production in the United
States. Historic engravings and photographs show how America
prospered in the 1800s from cotton's economic impact on the
United States. Strings strung on the Diddley bow and other
musical instruments allow visitors to pluck and strum along with
the blues music to compare sounds. Famous bluesmen play and sing
songs on the old Wurl