Syrup Mill
Syrup-making was big business in Rusk County at the turn of the century.
Almost every community had a syrup mill. Starting in late October through mid-December, field workers would cut and strip the ribbon cane, then take it to a syrup mill. The men in the community would help each other on the days the cane was crushed and cooked down to syrup.
Each had a job to do during this process. One would keep the fire under the pan while another hooked the mule up to the crusher. The mule rotated the crusher using a sweep pole, which turned the rollers that squeezed the juice out of the cane. Older children would feed the cane into the crusher as the mule turned the rollers. The juice would then flow to the pan where the juice was cooked down until it turned thick and brown. The syrup would then be poured into jars or cans.
Raising sugar cane and farming declined by the time of the oil boom in the 1930s. However, there are still a few working syrup mills around, but only a few.
Since 1989, the Annual Heritage Syrup Festival has been held on the museum grounds on the second Saturday in November. Visitors are treated to a taste of freshly made syrup as they watch the process of making sugar cane syrup. The equipment used is original and native to Rusk County.