|
|
ENNIS, TEXAS
Ellis County, Central
Texas North
Highways 45, 34, 75, and 287, and
FMs 85, 879, 1183, 1722, and 3413
34 Miles
SE of Dallas
14 Miles SE of Waxahachie
19 Miles N of Corsicana
39 Miles NE of Hillsboro
Population:
16,045 (2000)
Book
Your Hotel Here & Save
Ennis
Hotels
|
 |
History in
a Pecan Shell
Named for Col. Cornelius Ennis, a railroad official of the Houston
and Texas Central Railway, Ennis was established in 1871. 647 acres
were purchased by trustees for a land company in 1872 and the townsite
was selected in May of that year by. Capt. W. G. Veale. Theo Kosse
platted the town. Angry citizens from the bypassed town of Burnham,
Texas attacked Ennis - killing one hapless citizen and wounding several
others.
In 1872 a post office was opened and that same year the Cumberland
Presbyterian Church (originally in Burnham) moved to Ennis. The Evening
Argus was first newspaper (1873) and by 1874 the population was up
to 300. By 1890 it had increased tenfold and Ennis had all essential
businesses as well as a brickyard and two weekly newspapers - the
Local and Saturday Review.
Ennis became the northern division headquarters for the Houston and
Texas Central Railroad and the city provided water for the railroad
yards and machine shops. The agreement with the city guaranteed that
as long as Ennis furnished water, the roundhouse and shops would remain
in Ennis. To comply with the agreement, Ennis built three lakes (beginning
in 1891). It wasn't until 1940 that the last lake was completed. Between
1910 and 1915 the railroad attempted to pull their headquarters from
Ennis but the courts held the company to the agreement. In 1894 the
Texas Midland, Ennis' second railroad arrived.
From a population of 6,600 in 1914, Ennis increased slightly to 7,069
by 1930. In the mid 1930s the Texas and New Orleans Railroad absorbed
both the Texas Midland railroad and the Houston and Texas Central.
In 1942 the Texas Midland rails between Ennis and Kaufman, were abandoned
due to Trinity River washouts. Left with a single railroad, the line
was acquired by the Southern Pacific in 1961.
Today, attractions include Lake Bardwell which is a flood control
impoundment as well as a recreactional lake.
Ennis had a 1970 population of 11,550 which has since increased to
just over 16,000 in 2000. |
 |
TE
photo, May 2005
More Silos |
|
|
