Settlement of this area began as early as 1848. The town of Alma was established in 1871, when the Houston and Texas Central Railroad was built through Ellis County. C.C. Hemming deeded part of his property for the railroad right-of-way and a town . . . — — Map (db m164888) HM
Originally known as Mt. Nebo Baptist Church, this congregation was organized on July 6, 1879, by elders Josiah Leake and S.C. Talley and 16 charter members: J.C., Isabel, and Sarah Martin; W.L. Pierce; J.P. and M.F. Giles, William Hendricks; William . . . — — Map (db m212816) HM
William R. and Edeline House bought the land on which Burnam Square and Cemetery were located in 1856 for the price of a slave named John. In 1861, after her husband died, Edeline House had the 25-block town laid out and donated one acre for a . . . — — Map (db m164887) HM
Designed by prominent local architect Hix McCanless, this Classical Revival structure was built in 1915 to house city offices and the Ennis police and fire departments. A native of Tennessee, McCanless (1868-1938) was the leading designer and . . . — — Map (db m164886) HM
This structure was built in 1883 to house the Ennis National Bank, which was established the same year, with businessman Joseph Baldridge as its first president. Until 1917, when a new facility was built, the bank occupied the first floor, while . . . — — Map (db m164759) HM
Born in Kentucky, February 15, 1795 • Came to Texas in 1822 with Austin's first colony • Died July 2, 1874 His wife Elizabeth Smith Rankin Born January 30, 1802 Died June 1, 1882 — — Map (db m164753) HM
Mr. Ivan Goodwin was born and raised in Ennis, TX. He went on to enlist and serve honorably in the United States Army Air Corps from 1946-1949, before graduating from North Texas State College in 1952. He then returned to serve his community . . . — — Map (db m164834) HM
Born on an Ellis County farm, Jack Lummus attended school at Alma and Ennis, and Baylor University on an athletics scholarship. He played minor league baseball in Texas and football for the New York Giants. He joined the U.S. Marines in 1942 and . . . — — Map (db m164756) HM
Born in Brenham, Katie Litty Daffan was a well-known author, educator, journalist, and club-woman. She began her career as a teacher and was an officer of the Texas State Historical Assoc. She wrote several books, including a Texas history . . . — — Map (db m164865) HM
LaJuan Schlegel, a self-taught local artist, credits the greatest artist of all, The Heavenly Father, for her talent. Her paintings bring life to the splendor and majesty of nature and are deliberately created to evoke a sense of connection . . . — — Map (db m164841) HM
Minnie McDowal grew up in Ennis, where she graduated from High School and married her sweetheart Robert T. McDowal. They had two beloved children, Elizabeth Ann and Robert T., III.
In the late 1940's, Minnie began working at the Plaza Theatre . . . — — Map (db m164839) HM
Built in 1905 for Malinda (Anderson) and Hardin T. Moore, this Neoclassical Revival house is a significant part of Ennis' architectural history. The Moores married in 1892, after both Malinda and Hardin had been widowed in previous marriages. They . . . — — Map (db m164757) HM
W.H. Parsons deeded the original ten acres at this site in 1875 for use as a cemetery. The burial ground was named "Myrtle" for a child whose single grave was included in the tract of land. Also buried here is Frederick H. Ranklin (1795-1874), a . . . — — Map (db m164754) HM
Constructed in 1891, this dam created a body of water known variously as the City Reservoir, Ennis Railroad Lake, and Old City Lake. It was built in answer to a proposal by the Houston and Texas Central Railroad to move its divisional headquarters . . . — — Map (db m164751) HM
In memory of employees of The Dallas Division who gave their lives for their country in World War II
Named in honor of Sgt. W.T. Pierce Jr. First to die in combat
Side panel 1 R.F. Rickard Glynn Massey Fred Reyther Guy Youngblood . . . — — Map (db m164843) WM
The Houston and Texas Central Railroad built tracks through Corsicana en route to Dallas in 1871. In 1872 the town of Ennis was platted along this line on 647 acres selected by Captain W.G. Veale. The town was named for railroad official Colonel . . . — — Map (db m164863) HM
In 1887 the City of Ennis was established at this site, the northern terminus of the Houston and Texas Central Railroad (later part of the Southern Pacific Railroad). The city is named after early railroad official Cornelius Ennis. Expansion by . . . — — Map (db m164866) HM
Georgia native Thomas C. Neel married Willia E. Latimer in 1848. The couple moved their family to Texas in 1854 and to Ellis County in 1855. They established a cotton and wheat plantation near what would become Ennis. Neel called his wife "Will" and . . . — — Map (db m152969) HM
Founded 1872 as market town on Houston & Texas Central Railway; Named for an H. & T.C. official, Cornelius Ennis (1813-1899). Cumberland Presbyterian built first church, 1872; First school session opened 1873. Chezchslovaks settled here 1874, . . . — — Map (db m164758) HM
Named for African Methodist Episcopal Church Bishop Alexander W. Wayman, this congregation was organized in 1880 by area residents, many of whom moved here from the community of Telico. Dr. C.A. Harris, a physician, served as pastor in the early . . . — — Map (db m164755) HM
Site was occupied in 1851 by the Ephraim Andrews family and their in-laws, the McKnights, settling a purchased land grant. The Duffs, Greens, McDaniels, and Orrs also pioneered here. The Cumberland Presbyterian Church was founded in 1858. The . . . — — Map (db m164742) HM
Organized by 13 charter members in 1858, this congregation moved from its original site near Bluff Springs (2 miles west) to Ferris in 1875. A church building, erected here in 1890, was razed when this sanctuary was built in 1925-26. Its Classical . . . — — Map (db m164741) HM
The town of Ferris was laid out by the Houston & Texas Central Railway in 1874. In that year, the Reverend John S. Davis and the Reverend George W. Owens became the first of a series of circuit-riding ministers to serve Ferris, establishing a . . . — — Map (db m164743) HM
Named in honor of
Thomas Jefferson Chambers
(1802-1865)
to whom the first land grant within
present Ellis County was made in 1834
by the Mexican government
Also known as Howe's Settlement
in honor of William R. Howe,
first settler in . . . — — Map (db m117286) HM
3 miles northeast
from here was buried
General Edward
H. Tarrant
Veteran of the War of 1812, member
of the Texas Congress and a
courageous Indian fighter • Born
in North Carolina, 1796 • Died in
Parker County, Texas, August . . . — — Map (db m117285) HM
Frustrated by poor infrastructure, residents of an African American community in Italy called "The Hill" rallied to get a hearing with the city council in the mid-twentieth century. A group of African American men met in a small building on Poplar . . . — — Map (db m212061) HM
A soldier in the Army of Texas
in 1836 • Born in Tennessee, Feb-
ruary 2, 1804; died October 15, 1891
His wife
Mary Hardeman
Born in Tennessee, February
12, 1812 • Died February 19, 1857 — — Map (db m117284) HM
In 1852 N.P. Sims (1806-1902) gave 10 acres of land at High Springs (4 mi. W) for a church and burial ground to trustees of Bethel Methodist Church. Several graves remain there. G.H. Cunningham (1828-1916) and P.C. Sims (1819-1903) gave church . . . — — Map (db m191315) HM
Greathouse Community, Church, and Cemetery Archibald and Mary Greathouse, who settled in this area in 1848, gave their name to a creek and rural community that grew up here. The church, school, and cemetery that formed the focal point of community . . . — — Map (db m191314) HM
The community of Maypearl was established on the International and Great Northern Railroad line in 1903. The 1907 death of landowner William P. Wilemon and subsequent burial on his farm led Maypearl citizens to discuss the establishment of a . . . — — Map (db m191422) HM
In 1858 J.P. Gilmore and Richard D. Graves gave land for Pleasant Hill Methodist Episcopal Church, south, and for this burial ground. The earliest marked graves date from 1870. J.H.L. Jackson donated additional land in 1895. At that time, the . . . — — Map (db m191349) HM
This Church was erected in 1966 in the NW corner of the B.F. Hawkins Survey. (Hawkins, among the original settlers in the area, became the first Clerk of Ellis County Courts and his father, William Alden Hawkins, who settled at Hawkins Spring, was . . . — — Map (db m194941) HM
Methodist worship services in this area date to the late 1840s. Meeting in homes, the people were served by circuit riding ministers from Waxahachie. A schoolhouse built for the pioneer community of Hawkins was also used as a church. Beginning in . . . — — Map (db m194940) HM
What would later become Midlothian began as part of the Peters Colony, which brought settlers to Texas from 1841 to 1848. W.A. and Anna Hawkins and their extended family arrived in 1848, in time to receive acreage for their new home. Their son . . . — — Map (db m194935) HM
In 1911, two congregations merged to form Midlothian Presbyterian Church. One originally organized in 1883 under pastor D.G. Malloy and was part of the Presbyterian Church of the United States of America (PCUSA). The other organized in 1890 under . . . — — Map (db m194934) HM
Early education in the area included an 1850 one-room log cabin in the Hawkins Settlement, serving as a school and church. Its location was where South 14th Street in Midlothian is now. The Hawkins Settlement was later named Lebanon. A new school . . . — — Map (db m194922) HM
Founded in 1883 by W.W. Works (1856-1895), Polytechnic Institute was a private, coeducational school. A respected educator and native of this area, Works left here in 1888 to attend the University of Texas. When he returned in 1892, local . . . — — Map (db m194924) HM
In 1881 William Gardner deeded this site to the Mountain Creek School Community. This tract, which contained graves dating from 1875, remained in use as a public cemetery, and adjoining land was set aside for a school. After W.S. Fife and his wife, . . . — — Map (db m194915) HM
William L. Hawkins, the son of area pioneer settlers, and his wife Emma (Barker) purchased land and a house here in 1892. They removed the original structure in 1901 and hired local wood artisan Will Price to build this house. Made of imported . . . — — Map (db m194923) HM
Chartered in 1855 with eleven members, this congregation was organized at the home of Dr. J.M. Higgins. The first pastor was the Rev. J.M. Perry (1817-1905), a native of Alabama. A chapel on College Street, built in 1856, served the fellowship until . . . — — Map (db m208870) HM
Served in the Army of Texas in
1836 • Born in Alabama, September
10, 1810 • Died January 11, 1885
His wife
Isabella Weir
McDaniel
Born in Alabama, March
8, 1818 • Died May 4, 1897 — — Map (db m117283) HM
W.R. Hudson and J.M. Higgins, early pioneers in this area, came from Cherokee County in East Texas to settle here in 1853. They laid off a townsite in 1854 and named it Milford. The town developed steadily, and soon boasted homes, a school, post . . . — — Map (db m183587) HM
Organized in June 1855 with 16 members, as one of 4 Presbyterian churches within a radius of 500 miles. Early, horseback-traveling pastors organized and served 3 churches in outlying areas. Congregation built houses of worship in 1860, 1896, 1921. . . . — — Map (db m184175) HM
This church was organized by the Rev. Joshua Goins, Sr., in 1883. Services began in the home of Pleasant Zollicoffer and moved to the Odd Fellows' Hall before this church structure was erected in 1907. This building exhibits exceptional . . . — — Map (db m208868) HM
Soldier in the Texas Army in
1836 • Born in Tennessee June
17, 1808 • Died November 24, 1880
His wife
Stacy Choate Jordan
Born in Tennessee, October 15,
1816 • Died January 27, 1884 — — Map (db m117282) HM
In 1873 pioneer settler Thomas Alexander Williams (1827-1900) brought his family to this area which was known as Garden Valley. Soon after his arrival he directed the establishment of a school for the community. Classes were conducted at this site, . . . — — Map (db m212813) HM
A Civil War veteran who served in the Confederate Cavalry brought his family from Greene County, Alabama, and settled on this spot in 1874. He gave this acre of his farm as the building site for the first Garden Valley school, erected about 1875. A . . . — — Map (db m212814) HM
In 1875 area pioneer William M. Claunch (1815-1888) donated twenty acres of his ranch land for a Methodist Church, church campground, and cemetery. The oldest grave in the burial ground is that of Susaner Bynum, the one-year-old daughter of M.C. . . . — — Map (db m191319) HM
One of the oldest communities in Ellis County, Ovilla began as a fortified settlement built in 1844 on upper Red Oak Creek. Shiloh Cumberland Presbyterian Church was founded in 1847 and the town's first schoolhouse was erected in 1849. By the turn . . . — — Map (db m182909) HM
The Ovilla community was founded by members of the Peters Colony in 1844. Benjamin and Erixna Caroline McFarlin were among the early members of the thriving farm community. On November 17, 1886, they deeded four acres to the new Ovilla Methodist . . . — — Map (db m182907) HM
The Rev. T.H. Durham preached at the organizational meeting of this Missionary Baptist Church on Nov. 17 1873. Charter members included Lucinda Crawford, Susan and John Nixon, and Elizabeth and James Perkins. Worship services were originally held . . . — — Map (db m164745) HM
In 1853 disciples in the area around Rockett and Brushy Creek (8 miles northwest) established a church called "Liberty-Sylvania". Members of the congregation were instrumental in the formation of new churches in Corinth, Ferris, Palmer and . . . — — Map (db m164744) HM
John I. Richardson (1839-1922), county surveyor, Mason, and veteran of the 12th Texas Confederate Cavalry, married Ann Elizabeth Reagor (1849-1923) in 1865. Both were descendants of the family for which Reagor Springs was named. A cousin, Robert S. . . . — — Map (db m152970) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m152372) HM
Originally known as the Kemble Cemetery, this graveyard began as a family burial ground. Abraham Kemble acquired the land on which the cemetery is located about 1860. He and his wife Mary were both buried here in 1867. In 1892 Kemble descendants . . . — — Map (db m152247) HM
Founded 1875. Site for church and cemetery was given on Dec. 27, 1875, by local landowners John and Elizabeth Gibbons. This tract and some later purchases were deeded to the Methodist Episcopal Church South.
Church and cemetery were named in . . . — — Map (db m93219) HM
Robert Russell Graves (1814-1897) came from Alabama to Texas in 1838 with his wife Esther (Hinkle) Graves (1815-1865), their children, and her father Joseph Hinkle (1771-1859). They came to Ellis County in 1857 and settled on 510 acres purchased . . . — — Map (db m139120) HM
A tin cornice decorated with Masonic emblems tops this three-story brick building constructed in 1889 for Waxahachie Lodge No. 90, A.F.& A.M. The first floor was rented to retail stores, the second occupied by professional offices, and the third . . . — — Map (db m152271) HM
Following the Civil War, the town of Waxahachie grew as the seat of county government and a hub along the Texas Cotton Belt. In 1870-71, Waxahachie became an educational center when Marvin College was established on land donated by town founder . . . — — Map (db m212659) HM
Born in Atlanta, Texas, pioneer aviatrix Bessie Coleman grew up and went to school in a Waxahachie neighborhood a few blocks north of this site. At age 23 she moved to Chicago and first expressed her desire to fly. Since there were no flight schools . . . — — Map (db m152250) HM
In 1853 Bethel Church was begun under a brush arbor at High Springs. After meeting in a log school building at Greathouse, services were moved in 1860 to a schoolhouse at Bethel on Baker's Branch. The first meetinghouse, built south of the . . . — — Map (db m191316) HM
The Calaboose was built as a local lockup for crimes under the jurisdiction of the City of Waxahachie.
This Calaboose was at least the third one in Waxahachie. There is mention of a Calaboose as early as 1876 in the Waxahachie City Council . . . — — Map (db m212701) HM
Central Presbyterian Church began as a Cumberland Presbyterian Church in 1853, with twelve charter members led by the Rev. Daniel G. Molloy. The congregation met in a building on land donated by William Irwin until 1862, when it began sharing space . . . — — Map (db m212665) HM
A fine example of Queen Anne Revival architecture, this house has among its many rooms two hexagons, two octagons. It was built in 1890-91 by Judge Oscar E. Dunlap (1849-1925), a banker, political leader, chairman of Texas Council of Defense in . . . — — Map (db m170519) HM
In honor of the dead and living of Ellis County, who wore the gray. Banners may be furled but heroism lives forever.
1861 - 1865 — — Map (db m212782) WM
Ellis County's first courthouse was made of cedar logs and built here in 1850. A second courthouse was built on this square in 1853 and a third in 1874. In 1894 Virginia native and San Antonio architect James Riely Gordon was commissioned to design . . . — — Map (db m151374) HM
Dallas architect Bertram C. Hill designed this building, erected in 1925-26 on land deeded by Quincy Davis Getzendaner for a public park and a "Rest Room" for rural women who came to town with their families on market days. Intended in part as a . . . — — Map (db m212786) HM
Organized in 1861 by twelve citizens meeting in the Methodist Church, the Baptist congregation elected W.H. Stokes as its first pastor. The group met in several locations until their first church building was completed in 1882. Several successive . . . — — Map (db m194944) HM
The Rev. J. A. Smiley organized the First Presbyterian Church in 1871 with 16 charter members. The first church building was erected in 1876 and replaced by this structure in 1916-17. After this congregation merged with another church in 1979, the . . . — — Map (db m151236) HM
In the spring of 1849, the Rev. Falacius Reynolds and nine charter members met in the cabin of E.W. and Nancy Rogers in the new settlement of Waxahachie and established a Methodist society. The congregation erected its first house of worship in . . . — — Map (db m212654) HM
Established in 1889, Getzendaner Memorial Park was originally named West End Park as part of Waxahachie’s West End addition. By the early 20th century, it became Chautauqua Park, named for the annual retreat held on its grounds through 1930. . . . — — Map (db m151999) HM
Businessman William F. Lewis and Ellis County Judge M.B. Templeton built this Victorian commercial structure in 1890. Decorative brickwork and cast iron columns highlight the facade. William Pitt Hancock (1872-1955), a well-known defense attorney, . . . — — Map (db m152275) HM
"Baseball happens to be my hobby"
"I wouldn't trade hobbies with any man"
Henry Curry, from 1927-1961, became the catalyst for baseball activity in Waxahachie and Ellis County. He expended his time, energy, expertise and money for baseball . . . — — Map (db m152115) HM
A native Texan, Dixon Gillespie Thompson received his medical degree from Louisville Medical School in Kentucky and trained at several hospitals in the east. He married Rufa Jones in 1882 and built this residence for his family in 1883 - 84. In . . . — — Map (db m151193) HM
Built 1855 by Jefferson Madison Dunaway for his bride, Sarah Ann Brack. Stone for chimneys came from the nearby creek banks. Cypress wood was used in structure. Two later generations of the family have lived here: The households of Jefferson . . . — — Map (db m191317) HM
The Missouri Kansas & Texas Railroad
of Texas was incorporated on Dec. 31, 1891.
Track was laid to Waxahachie in 1889 under
the name of the Dallas & Waco Railway Company.
Passenger service was discontinued in 1964.
The line remained in . . . — — Map (db m152303) HM
Henry McKinney (1863-1936) was born in Kemp, Kaufman County and, at the age of 20, enlisted in Company C of the Frontier Battalion of the Texas Rangers. After one year, McKinney was discharged and returned to Kemp. He married Viola Dorsey . . . — — Map (db m191318) HM
A pioneer among privately-endowed Texas libraries. Situated in Getzendaner Park, which had been donated to the city on Dec. 31, 1895, by Capt. W.H. Getzendaner (1834-1909), an attorney, Confederate veteran, banker, and president of the Dallas & Waco . . . — — Map (db m151256) HM
Oak Lawn began as an elementary school for blacks in 1887 on North Aiken Street. In 1893 the school moved to this site. By the end of the 19th Century, High School classes had been added to the curriculum. Two of the first graduates, Prince . . . — — Map (db m135282) HM
Due to overcrowding in the existing jail facility, this structure was completed in 1888. The Ellis County Commissioners Court awarded the contract to Pauly Jail Building and Manufacturing Company of St. Louis, Missouri. A round turret with conical . . . — — Map (db m122133) HM
Originally comprised of men from Ellis and surrounding counties. Organized for Civil War service at Rockett's Spring (4 mi. E. of this site), Sept. 1861, unit was trained and commanded by Col. William H Parsons, Mexican War veteran, colorful . . . — — Map (db m201873) HM
This ballpark has hosted athletic events since the early 20th century. By 1914, local officials began planning for a field to attract a major league baseball team to train in Waxahachie. After various team representatives visited in 1915, local . . . — — Map (db m151261) HM
Built in 1901, this house served as the parsonage for the presiding elder (district superintendent) of the Waxahachie District of the Northwest Texas Conference of the Methodist Church for more than 40 years. Mrs. M.J. Cooke, for whom the house was . . . — — Map (db m221771) HM
By birth and education, a Virginian;
through residence, 1813-1825, an Alabaman jurist
In that year, Texas claimed him
—
As president of the Constitutional Convention in 1836
and as a member of the Congress of the young republic,
he . . . — — Map (db m152358) HM
Named for the founder of Waxahachie, Emory W. Rogers who built his log cabin home on this site in 1847 and donated land for the Ellis County Courthouse in 1850. Mr. Rogers built a two story hotel on this site in 1856, but it was destroyed in a fire . . . — — Map (db m212740) HM
Located on an early Waxahachie Creek fording site that served pioneer settlers of the area, this truss bridge was built in 1889. It was manufactured by the Wrought Iron Bridge Company of Canton, Ohio, and was one of thirteen approved by Ellis County . . . — — Map (db m151995) HM
Constructed in 1919 by the Texas Bridge Company at a cost of $565.00, this Warren Pony truss bridge provided transportation across Red Oak Creek for area residents. Prior to the bridge's construction, the only way for people to cross the creek in . . . — — Map (db m198720) HM
The earliest marked grave in the Sardis Cemetery is that of Susan Jane Rachael (Peevey) Kelly, who died in childbirth in 1871. Early settler Robert Mayfield donated land for the graveyard for the use of families in the Sardis Community. The burial . . . — — Map (db m170522) HM
Methodist Church activities in this area can be traced to 1845, when the Rev. Thomas Welch, a circuit-riding minister, preached a sermon. Following a brush arbor meeting near this site in 1873, a formal congregation was organized. Services were . . . — — Map (db m170521) HM
The Northwest Texas Conference, Methodist Episcopal Church South, built a college named for Bishop E.M. Marvin at this site in 1870-71. Waxahachie Methodists and others gave land, services, and money to develop the college. Distinctions were . . . — — Map (db m212662) HM
The earliest Catholic settlers in Waxahachie were two brothers of English and American ancestry who arrived in 1859. A German Catholic family joined them in 1870 and a number of Irish Catholic stonemasons arrived in 1871 to assist in the building of . . . — — Map (db m212663) HM
City's Oldest Church.
Dedicated by Pioneer Bishop A.C. Garrett, 1885.
Lancet Windows, Doors.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1965
2nd Plaque Historic Waxahachie Inc. Recognizes This Property Built in 1887 as . . . — — Map (db m212785) HM
Emory W. Rogers was born in Lawrence County, Alabama on July 2, 1813. Nancy Clinton was born on October 28, 1810. The Couple Married in 1833.
Mr. Rogers obtained a "Headright" certificate from the Republic of Texas in 1839, for 640 acres of . . . — — Map (db m212735) HM
Constructed in 1904 by Dennis Mahoney, contractor and builder. He came from Connecticut to Texas in late 1800s to build Trinity University in Waxahachie (now in San Antonio). Cornerstone was laid March 21, 1902. He later moved to Waxahachie and . . . — — Map (db m221772) HM
The Marchman Building, older than our Ellis County Courthouse, has been a prominent part of our town's economic history. Built in 1887, it is situated on the N.E. corner of the Bradshaw Block. This site of land was deeded to D.G. Ransom and Amzi . . . — — Map (db m212784) HM
Some 25 years after Chautauqua cultural programs originated in New York State, annual Chautauqua assemblies in Waxahachie began in 1899. Large crowds from North and East Texas and Oklahoma camped here, studying literature and the arts, attending . . . — — Map (db m152000) HM
The first burial here occurred on Jan. 1, 1852, after the death of pioneer merchant Silas Killough (b. 1805), one of the founders of this community. The original 4.16 acre tract was given in 1858 to trustees of the Methodist church by Emory W. . . . — — Map (db m151260) HM
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