Illustration by Brian Smith
While Eli Whitney is most often credited with the cotton gin, it was Robert Munger who perfected the design and secured a number of patents for his work. With his brother, they opened Munger Improved Cotton Machine & Manufacturing Co. in 1885 and built a showroom to display his products. It built the fortune needed for him to develop his namesake Munger Place. The company eventually closed in 1962 after the last of the city’s cotton fields had been replaced by housing developments. (Source: Texas State Historical Association)
