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Continued
Before the turn of the Century and well into the 20's, the
town of Waxahachie and Ellis County were among the most wealthy and influential
areas in Texas. Cotton was KING. The rich dark earth of the black land
region of Texas produced tremendous crops of cotton which led to the growth
of all sorts of assorted industry and commerce for the area.
(For more information click
here Ellis County Museum)
With this newfound wealth, many of the businessmen,
farmers, bankers and industrialists during this time built large beautiful homes
for their families. Many beautiful public buildings
were constructed in the city as well.
The Great Depression dealt Ellis county and the cotton industry
a devastating blow. Many farmers and businesses went
bankrupt. Most people could not accept the fact that the unbelievable
prosperity of the past 50 years had come to an end.
From around 1929 to the 1970's, nothing much changed 
in Waxahachie and
Ellis county. Very little new
industry sprang up. Many believed that PROGRESS had completely passed them
by. The bank robbers, Bonnie and Clyde, had even visited the local bank in the
30's but left
with very little.
During this time in Texas, many towns experienced change
with new growth and new industry. But it also took something away.
That progress erased their past. Many historic structures lost out to the
developers and land speculators. Many towns lost those things which had made
them great. They lost their history and their identity!
Ironically, in Waxahachie, this absent of progress
preserved many of the historic buildings and homes. There were some
unfortunate losses nevertheless and some of
the historic structures were lost. One of the most devastating losses
was the Central Fire Hall in the early 1960s. The Central Fire Station
was built in the 1880s and had 100% horse drawn fire fighting equipment.
This location is now a service station and store!
Primarily because of this absence of progress, Waxahachie
is now world-renowned for possessing an
 enormous area
of surviving examples of early architectural styles, including the
gingerbread style from which the Gingerbread Home Tour takes its name.
Today, one has the opportunity to visit many of these fine elegant homes and
buildings and, for a moment, step back sixty to a hundred years to a time
and place long since past. You can also stroll the beautiful downtown
square and see the jewel of Ellis County and Waxahachie, the Courthouse!.
Completely restored to its original condition, it is really something to see
inside and out.
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This
is one of the highlights of the Summer
