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ELLIS COUNTY, TEXAS

32° 21' 0" N, 96° 47' 24" W (32.35, -96.79)

Ellis County Topics

  • History
  • Town List
  • Vintage Maps
  • Ellis County TX

    Contiguous Counties:
    Dallas County (N) Kaufman County (NE) Henderson County (E) Navarro County (SE) Hill County (SW) Johnson County (W) Tarrant County (NW)



    Ellis County History

    by Sam Fenstermacher
    The Texas State Legislature created Ellis County on December 20, 1849 with land drawn from Navarro County. Waxahachie was established as the county seat in August 1850 on land donated by Emory W. Rogers, a pioneer settler. The town name comes from an Indian word meaning "cow", and it's also the name of a local creek.

    Construction on the Waxahachie Tap Railroad was completed in September 1879. The railroad carried Waxahachie's vast cotton crop to market. In 1881 the Waxahachie Tap was absorbed by the Houston and Texas Central Railway, which extended the rail line all the way to Fort Worth. In the following years more rail lines were built to match the county's ever expanding agricultural output.

    Like so many other rural counties in this part of the state of Texas, Ellis County had a period of great growth from about 1880 to 1930. By the 1920's Waxahachie had a population of 7,958 and 200 businesses including three banks, three cottonseed oil mills, five cotton gins, and two daily and two weekly newspapers. Profits from the cultivation and processing of cotton drove this economic boom. Unfortunately, when cotton prices dropped in the 1930's so did the local economy.
    © Sam Fenstermacher


    (1936 Centennial - Highway Marker:)

    ELLIS COUNTY
    Created December 20, 1849 from Navarro County
    Organized August 5, 1850
    Named in honor of Richard Ellis, 1781-1846
    a Virginian by birth and education
    Jurist and statesman of Alabama 1813-1825
    Moved to Texas in 1825
    President of the Constitutional Convention, March, 1836
    Member, Congress of the Republic of Texas
    Waxahachie the county seat




    Ellis County Courthouse
    Texas - Ellis County Courthouse
    Ellis County Courthouse
    1939 Photo courtesy TXDoT




    Ellis County Town List

    Cities, Towns & Ghost Towns: History, attractions, landmarks, architecture, monuments, museums, cemeteries, bridges, parks, vintage & contemporary images, area destinations, hotels, and forum.

    County Seat - Waxahachie
    Book Hotel Here - Waxahachie Hotels

  • Alma
  • Avalon
  • Bardwell
  • Boz ghost town
  • Bristol
  • Britton
  • Buena Vista ghost town
  • Crisp
  • Ennis
  • Ferris
  • Forreston
  • Glenn Heights
  • India ghost town
  • Italy
  • Lumkins
  • Maypearl
  • Midlothian
  • Milford
  • Mountain Peak
  • Nash ghost town
  • Ovilla
  • Ozro ghost town
  • Palmer
  • Pluto ghost town
  • Venus
  • Waxahachie County seat



  • Ellis County Vintage Maps

    Ellis county TX 1907 postal map
    Ellis County 1907 postal map
    From Texas state map #2090
    Courtesy Texas General Land Office


    TX Ellis County 1920s Map
    Ellis County 1920s map
    From Texas state map #10749
    Courtesy Texas General Land Office


    TX Ellis  County 1940s Map
    Ellis County 1940s map
    From Texas state map #4335
    Courtesy Texas General Land Office

    More Texas Counties

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    TEXAS TOWN LIST
    Alphabetical Listing of over 3300 Cities, Towns & Ghost Towns:
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    Texas Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories, landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact us.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     


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