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WAXAHACHIE,
TEXAS
Ellis County Seat
I-35E : 30 miles
S of Dallas
Hwy 287 : 42 miles SE of Fort
Worth
Population: 21,426 (2000) 17,984 (1990)
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Courthouse
clock tower
Photo by John Troesser |
Ellis
County history and
Ellis County Courthouse
by
Sam Fenstermacher (Text and photos)
A J. Reily Gordon design; many regard it as his Texas
masterpiece. Wise
County (Decatur) has a fraternal twin to this one. It's been used
as a backdrop for such films as Places in the Heart and Bonnie
and Clyde. |
Waxahachie
Architectural Attractions
Waxahachie
has 227 properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
This is 20% of the Texas entries in the Register.
Chautauqua Auditorium in nearby Getzendaner Park. The
era of self-improvement provided a money-making opportunity for promoters
and speakers in the late 19th and early part of the 20th Century.
This structure was built in 1902.
On the square you will find the Ellis County Museum in a beautifully
restored building at 201 South College. Be sure to examine the detail
on the front door hinges. Like most museums, this one has a lot of
old things, but here they are in better condition and the individual
items are a little more unusual. Check out the cotton bale scale.
The gift shop has an excellent book of historic Ellis County photos,
including the railroad yards at Ennis.
At 515 West Main you will find the Nicholas P. Sims Library.
Sims was a farmer who donated funds for the library which was built
in 1902.
On the NE corner of the square is the recently restored Rogers
Hotel. Patrons could sleep on the rooftop during summer months,
and there was a natarorium in the basement. Northern baseball teams
like the The Detroit Lions and Chicago White Sox would winter here.
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History
in a Pecan Shell
The
county was named after Richard Ellis, who presided over the 1836 Texas
Constitutional Convention.
The city was named after nearby Waxahachie Creek, a Tonkawa Indian
word for Buffalo or Cow.
Richard Ellis monument on lawn of Ellis County Courthouse
October 2002
Copyright Sam Fenstermacher |
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Waxahachie
History
Waxahachie:
Where Cotton Reigned King
by Kelly McMichael Stott
Photographs Courtesy of
The Ellis County Historical Museum
Arcadia Publishing's
The Making of America Series.
December 2002 |
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College Street
looking south, 1922
Postcard
courtesy rootsweb.com/
~txgenweb// postcards/Index.html |
"What
Chou Lookin At" A longhorn in Waxahachie
Photo courtesy John Stankewitz |
"People &
Places of Ellis County"
Jeanne Moseley's Column : "Good
Day for a Story":
Jeanne is host of "People & Places of Ellis County"
Friday mornings at 7:00 AM on KBEC Radio 1390 AM
People
Richard Ellis
by Mike Cox ("Texas Tales" Column)
His imagined likeness stands frozen in bronze outside the courthouse
of the county bearing his name, but Richard Ellis is a long way from
being one of the more-recognized figures in Texas history.... |
Waxahachie
definitely deserves a weekend visit. The chamber can furnish you with
information on the courthouse, historic home driving & walking
Tours, the annual Gingerbread Trail Home Tour in June, and a map of
local homes and buildings and the movies in which they appeared.
Waxahachie
Tourist Information
Waxahachie
Chamber of Commerce - 102 YMCA Drive
Phone: 972-937-2390.
Website:www.texasusa.com/waxahachie
Waxahachie
Hotels
Book Your Hotel Here & Save
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