Page 17 - Waxahachie, TX Residential Design Guidelines

IntroductIon

c . t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f
Historic Resources
Survey of Waxahachie
Zone 1
W a x a h a c h i e September 2019
Submitted to:
Historic Waxahachie, Inc.
Waxahachie, the county seat of Ellis County, has been an Prepared by:
HHM & Associates, Inc.
important agricultural, commercial, educational, and transportation
center in the north‐central Texas region between Dallas and Waco
since the town’s founding in 1850. When surveying the 40‐block
townsite, Richard Donaldson used the land of Emory W. Rogers,
an Alabama native who settled in the area in 1847, as the primary
orientation point. The town was dubbed Waxahachie after the
creek that ran through the south side of the developing town.
Existing historical records do not reflect which specific Native
American tribe named the creek, but many believe it means Texas Historical Commission and the
Funded with a grant from the
National Park Service through the
“buffalo creek” or “cow creek” whereas others state it specifically Certified Local Government Program
means “buffalo droppings.” Some believe that it comes from the This historic context statement
Alabama‐ Coushatta people’s term waakasi hachi, meaning “calf’s was taken from the 2019 HHM &
tail,” as these people migrated to East Texas. Associates Zone 1 survey work.
For sources and more information,
The density of development in Waxahachie was extremely low please visit https://www.
following the town’s founding, as most residents were farmers historicwaxahachie.com/2019-
struggling to survive the frontier conditions. Growth in the small hardy-heck-moore-zone-1-survey/
township remained slow during the early years of settlement, but
because it was the seat of government, Waxahachie eventually
evolved into the county’s largest and most important township.
The first courthouse was a simple log structure that, according
to commissioners’ court minutes, was moved from neighboring
Dallas County and was in use by 1851. Standing on the public
square near the Emory W. Rogers homestead, the courthouse
quickly became the center of community activity. The first retail
establishments included a general store and a post office,
benefiting from the regular flow of people with legal business.

Waxahac hie Residential design guidelines 9