Historical Markers in Ellis County
Texas·86 places·Page 4 of 4
History
The Southern Pacific Railroad in Ennis
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 the railroad at this location in 1891 spurred decades of agricultural, commercial, and industrial growth.
Architecture
The Telico Church
Built in 1867 for the Kirkpatrick Presbyterian Church, this sanctuary later served other denominations. It was a Baptist church from 1909 to 1961. Designed in the Greek Revival style with high Victorian Italianate details, it features shoulder architraves, paired brackets in the cornice, and six-over-six windows. The building was stabilized after a 1960 tornado tore it from its foundation.
History
Thomas J. Jordan
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.
History
Town of Ennis
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, adding a new segment to Anglo-French-Mexican-Texans employed in cattle and cotton economy. In 1892 banker Joseph Baldridge and associates secured H. & T.C.
Architecture
Trippet-Shive House
Completed in 1896 for banker and civic leader H.W. Trippet (b.1853), this residence was later sold to Walter E. Shive (b.1873), who owned a successful Waxahachie seed, grain, and coal store. Exhibiting influences of the Queen Anne and Shingle styles of architecture, the Trippet-Shive house is indicative of the houses built in this neighborhood at the turn of the century.
History
Trotter House
Jasper 'Jake' Preston Sewell, Jr. (1878-1961) bought three lots south of Midlothian's business district in November 1912. In 1915, Jake married Nettie (Witherspoon) Sewell (1886-1978). The Sewells, who attended Polytechnic Institute in Midlothian, commissioned this house to be built after 1918, most likely with dividends from shares in the Hog Creek Oil Company.
Education
Waxahachie Chautauqua Building
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 dramas, lectures, concerts, exhibitions.
History
Waxahachie City Cemetery
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. Rogers (d.1874), who was Waxahachie's first settler (1846) and donor of land for the townsite.
History
Wayman Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church
Named for African Methodist Episcopal Church Bishop Alexander W. Wayman, this congregation was organized I n1880 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 1900s. In 1905, under his leadership, the church moved from a site known as Biggins Hill to its current location.
Architecture
William L. and Emma Hawkins House
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 cypress timber, it was completed in 1903. It features an asymmetrical Queen Anne design and ornate wood trim hand carved by Price.
Architecture
Williams-Erwin House
Erected in 1893 for Edward Williams, this Victorian home reflects the affluence of local cotton merchants during the late 19th century. Waxahachie contractor C.J. Griggs supervised the construction. Beaded boards and shingling decorate the exterior walls, and elaborate eastlake style detailings adorns the porch. Williams sold the house in 1902 to R.K. Erwin, another prominent businessman.
Elsewhere in Texas
Hear it from the road
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