A brandy press?

Years ago, when my son was small, I did a rural paper route.  One place we went by had an old barn with an open area that housed a large wheel-like contraption.  I always wondered what that was.  One summer after some strong thunderstorms, we saw that the barn had collapsed, probably from a downdraft.
Just recently, I discovered an interactive website from the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources which shows historic sites all across the state.  Lo and behold, there is a site where I remember that barn standing.  It is listed as a brandy press. 
Another structure I've wondered about is listed as [housing] a cotton gin. 
If you happen to be interested in NC historical sites, you might find this web site interesting.
http://gis.ncdcr.gov/hpoweb/

This is the barn that currently stands on the site listed as Freeman Cotton Gin.

 

 

Do you enjoy learning about historical sites?