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| Gingerbread house |
Since it was a lovely autumn day, we decided to take
a leisurely drive down to Waxahachie. The town is not named after an ‘Indian tribe’, but
may mean ‘river of buffalo dung’ or simply ‘buffalo’; it depends on who you
talk to as to the meaning of this name. Of
the possible Native American language origins, the Alabama language, spoken by
the Alabama-Coushatta people who had moved to eastern Texas in the 1850s seems
the most likely point of origin. However, in the Alabama language, waakasi
hachi means ‘calf's tail’. In any case, Waxahachie was founded as the seat of Ellis
County in August, 1850. The land was donated given by Emory W. Rogers who had
come to Texas in 1839. With the arrival of a rail line from Waxahachie Tap
Railroad to Garrett, Texas, the population increased, making Waxahachie a viable
community. This area was once home to thick groves of sycamores as well as one
of the largest primary cotton markets in Texas. A textile mill using the lower
grades of locally produced cotton, manufactured duck and other heavy materials.
There were also two large cottonseed oil mills and a cotton compress. During
the Civil War a powder mill was operated by the Confederate government in
Waxahachie, but an explosion ended the enterprise in 1863. The city was also the
site of Trinity University. This school was in operation for about 40 years,
moving in 1942 to San Antonio.
