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Here's
another Arcadia title in the Making of America Series - and another
deserving city. Waxahachie is close
enough for Fort Worthians and Dallasites to visit (or commute from),
yet it has retained the charm and elegance of the quintessential
Texas town - a fact proven by it's popularity as a 30's era movie
backdrop (Places in the Heart, Bonnie and Clyde to mention just
two).
If the Arcadia series is unfamiliar to you, this volume would be
an excellent introduction. Besides the generous number of images,
the text is candid and revealing. The author reveals that the crime
(misdemeanor) of loading cotton bales with rocks to win the coveted
honor of heaviest bale was known and practiced in Waxahachie (although
it certainly wasn't invented there).
She also blows the cover off of one of Texas' favorite most frequently
told legends - the Waxahachie
County Courthouse "stonecutter's revenge" - a poignant tale
of love and rejection.
The recently
restored courthouse is Texas' favorite, although it certainly
had its critics at the time of construction. The courthouse is featured
in several photos along with the neighboring Rogers Hotel, one of,
if not the oldest business in town. Some say the Rogers Hotel has
more stories than the library - which happens to be a building with
its own interesting story. There's also the Ellis County Museum,
several beautiful residences, the Interurban and a wide cross-section
of the people who called Waxahachie their home.
The Interurban connected Waxahachie
to Waco
and Dallas and there
are photos, a history and even a route map of service. Also included
are the town's mule-powered streetcars, the Chautauqua (building
still standing and in use), the rail yard and photos of various
businesses, delivery vehicles, people, public servants, pedestrians
and picnickers. It's a trip to Waxahachie
without leaving home. If you can't make the drive - it's the certainly
next best thing and if it's not included in the book - it's not
worth knowing.
© John
Troesser
May 2003
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