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WAXAHACHIE,
TEXAS
Ellis County Seat, Central
Texas North
32° 23' 59" N, 96° 50' 50" W (32.399722, -96.847222)
I-35E : 30 miles S of Dallas
Hwy 287 : 42 miles SE of Fort
Worth
ZIP Codes 75165, 75167, 75168
Area code 972
Population: 41,140 (2020)
29,621 (2010) 21,426 (2000) 18,168 (1990)
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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 |
Waxahachie,
Texas
Landmarks/Attractions
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Waxahachie has 227 properties listed in the National Register of Historic
Places. This is 20% of the Texas entries in the Register. |
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.
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. |
| Photo
courtesy David Cole, October 2012 |
Restored Rogers
Hotel
Photo courtesy Lori
Martin, 12-05 |
Rogers
Hotel - On the NE corner of the square.
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.
More Rooms
with a Past |
The 1889 Masonic
Lodge building
TE photo |
Waxahachie bank
building
Photo
courtesy Lori
Martin, 12-05 |
Waxahachie bank
entrance
TE photo, 2001
More Texas Banks |
Waxahachie Depot
breezeway
TE photo |
The 1929 Ellis
County Jail
2001 TE photo |
Historic bridge
near downtown
TE photo |
The 1895 Texas
Theater
Photo
courtesy texasmusictheater.com |
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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 |
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. |
Waxahachie
Stories
"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
Chautauqua
by Bob Bowman
Dominating Getzendaner Park in Waxahachie, a large wooden, octagonal-roofed
pavilion stands as a symbol of entertainment and enlightment in
the days before movies and television...
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, Texas Forum
Subject:
Waxahachie SuperCollider
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| Photo
courtesy John Stankewitz |
| 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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