Waxahachie ( ) is the

seat of government The seat of government is (as defined by ''Brewer's Politics'') "the building, complex of buildings or the city from which a government exercises its authority". In most countries, the nation’s capital is also seat of its government, thus that ...

of Ellis County,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Its population was 41,140 in 2020.

Etymology

Some sources state that the name means "cow" or "buffalo" in an unspecified Native American language. One possible Native American origin is the

Alabama language Alabama (also known as Alibamu) is a Native American language, spoken by the Alabama-Coushatta tribe of Texas. It was once spoken by the Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town of Oklahoma, but there are no more Alabama speakers in Oklahoma. It is a Mus ...

, originally spoken in the area of Alabama around Waxahatchee Creek by the Alabama-Coushatta people, who had migrated by the 1850s to eastern Texas. In the Alabama language, ''waakasi hachi'' means "calf's tail" (the Alabama word ''waaka'' being a loan from Spanish ''vaca''). That there is a Waxahatchee Creek near present-day

Shelby, Alabama Shelby is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Shelby County, Alabama, United States. Its population was 1,044 as of the 2010 census. The area is near Lay Lake and Waxahatchee Creek. Shelby Iron Park is located at the heart o ...

, suggests that Waxahachie shares the same name etymology. Many place names in Texas and Oklahoma have their origins in the Southeastern United States, largely due to forced removal of various southeastern Indian tribes. The area in central Alabama that includes Waxahatchee Creek was for hundreds of years the home of the Upper Creek moiety of the

Muscogee The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language), are a group of related indigenous (Native American) peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands

History

PostcardAerialViewLookingNorthWaxahachieTXCirca1908

Confederate Monument, Waxahachie, TX IMG 5589

Revised, Waxahachie, TX, City Hall IMG 5612

Waxahachie was founded in August 1850 as the seat of the newly established Ellis County on a tract of land donated by early settler Emory W. Rogers, a native of

Lawrence County, Alabama Lawrence County is a county in the northern part of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,073. The county seat is Moulton. The county was named after James Lawrence, a captain in the United States Navy from Ne ...

, who migrated to Texas in 1839. It was incorporated on April 28, 1871, and in 1875, the state legislature granted investors the right to operate a rail line from Waxahachie Tap Railroad to

Garrett, Texas Garrett is a town in Ellis County, Texas, United States. The population was 806 at the 2010 census, up from 448 at the 2000 census. Geography Garrett is located in eastern Ellis County at (32.362055, –96.651735). It is bordered to the south ...

, which greatly increased the population of Waxahachie. From 1902 to 1942, Waxahachie was the second home of Trinity University, which was a Presbyterian-affiliated institution founded in 1869. Then-Trinity's main administration and classroom building is today the Farmer Administration Building of

Southwestern Assemblies of God University Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) is a private Christian university in Waxahachie, Texas. SAGU is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and officially endorsed by the Assemblies of Go ...

. Trinity's present-day location is

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

. The town is the namesake of the former

United States Naval Ship United States Naval Ship (USNS) is the prefix designation given to non- commissioned ships that are property of the United States Navy (USN). Definition United States Naval Ships are unarmed auxiliary support vessels owned by the U.S. Navy ...

''Waxahachie'' (YTB-814). In 1988, the area around Waxahachie was chosen as the site for the

Superconducting Super Collider The Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) (also nicknamed the desertron) was a particle accelerator complex under construction in the vicinity of Waxahachie, Texas. Its planned ring circumference was with an energy of 20 TeV per proton and was ...

, which was to be the world's largest and most energetic

particle accelerator A particle accelerator is a machine that uses electromagnetic fields to propel charged particles to very high speeds and energies, and to contain them in well-defined beams. Large accelerators are used for fundamental research in particle ...

, with a planned ring circumference of . Seventeen shafts were sunk and of tunnel were bored before the project was cancelled by Congress in 1993. In 2020, County Judge Todd Little came into the national spotlight when the county's only elected African-American, Constable Curtis Polk, Jr., protested having his office located in the basement of the courthouse next to a segregation-era sign that read "Negroes." The controversy was resolved amicably when Little worked with Polk to relocate him to another office.

Geography

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

, Waxahachie has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

, ''Cfa'' on climate maps.

Demographics

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 41,140 people, 12,522 households, and 9,073 families residing in the city.

Economy

Employment opportunities in the city are highly oriented toward industry.

Owens Corning Owens Corning is an American company that develops and produces insulation, roofing, and fiberglass composites and related materials and products. It is the world's largest manufacturer of fiberglass composites. It was formed in 1935 as a partn ...

Georgia-Pacific Georgia-Pacific LLC is an American pulp and paper company based in Atlanta, Georgia, and is one of the world's largest manufacturers and distributors of tissue, pulp, paper, toilet and paper towel dispensers, packaging, building products and r ...

International Paper The International Paper Company is an American pulp and paper company, the largest such company in the world. It has approximately 56,000 employees, and is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. History The company was incorporated January 31 ...

James Hardie Industries James Hardie Industries plc is a global building materials company and the largest global manufacturer of fibre cement products. Headquartered in Ireland, it is a dual-listed company, being listed on the Australian and New York Stock Exchanges. ...

Berry Global Berry Global, Inc is a Fortune 500 global manufacturer and marketer of plastic packaging products. Headquartered in Evansville, Indiana, it has over 265+ facilities across the globe and more than 46,000+ employees, With $13 billion in revenues in ...

, Americase, Cardinal Glass, Magnablend, and

Dart Container Dart Container Corporation of Mason, Michigan, United States, is the world's largest manufacturer of foam cups and containers, producing about as many as all competitors combined. Dart Container is privately held by the Dart family. In May 2012 ...

are located within a few miles of each other. Nonindustrial employers include Baylor Scott & White Health, Waxahachie Independent School District, Walgreen Distribution Center, Wal-Mart, HEB Grocery, Navarro College, and Southwestern Assemblies of God University.

Arts and culture

Annual cultural events

The

Scarborough Renaissance Festival Scarborough Renaissance Festival, more commonly known as Scarborough Faire, is a renaissance fair in Waxahachie, Texas. Scarborough Faire's first run was in 1981. The festival is open Saturdays and Sundays from the first weekend in April until ...

(also called Scarborough Faire), a

Renaissance fair A Renaissance fair, Renaissance faire or Renaissance festival is an outdoor gathering open to the public and typically commercial in nature, which purportedly recreates a historical setting for the amusement of its guests. Some are permanent the ...

theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

, is located southwest of the town. It opens annually during April and May, and has been in operation since 1981. The city's annual Gingerbread Trail Festival features tours of many of the Gingerbread homes. Bethlehem Revisited is located behind Central Presbyterian Church. The ''Texas Country Reporter'' Festival (hosted by Bob Phillips) features artists, craftsmen, music, and food from all over the Lone Star State – much of it featured on the TV show over the years.

Tourism

Waxahachie is locally known for its elaborate

Richardsonian Romanesque Richardsonian Romanesque is a style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after the American architect Henry Hobson Richardson (1838–1886). The revival style incorporates 11th and 12th century southern French, Spanish, and Italian Romanesque ...

courthouse A courthouse or court house is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English-spe ...

. The town also features many examples of

Victorian architecture Victorian architecture is a series of architectural revival styles in the mid-to-late 19th century. ''Victorian'' refers to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), called the Victorian era, during which period the styles known as Victorian we ...

and Gingerbread-style homes, several of which have been converted into

bed and breakfast Bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. Bed and breakfasts are often private family homes and typically have between four and eleven rooms, wit ...

inns. The Ellis County Art Association hosts ART On The Square (Cultural Attractions- Events- & Facilities; 113 West Franklin Street). WaxahachieGingerbreadCity

Parks and recreation

Parks in Waxahachie include Spring Park, Getzendaner Memorial Park, Richards Park, and Sheaffer Full Life Center – Southwestern Assemblies of God University.

Government

The city of Waxahachie is a voluntary member of the

North Central Texas Council of Governments The North Central Texas Council of Governments or NCTCOG is a voluntary association of governments in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. Its ranks currently include 230 member governments including 16 counties, numerous cities, school districts, ...

association, the purpose of which is to coordinate individual and collective local governments and facilitate regional solutions, eliminate unnecessary duplication, and enable joint decisions.

State government

Waxahachie is represented in the

Texas Senate The Texas Senate ( es, Senado de Texas) is the upper house of the Texas State Legislature. There are 31 members of the Senate, representing single-member districts across the U.S. state of Texas, with populations of approximately 806,000 per cons ...

by Republican Brian Birdwell, District 22, and in the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. As of the 2010 United States census, each member represents abou ...

by Republican Jake Ellzey, District 10. The

Texas Department of Criminal Justice The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is a department of the government of the U.S. state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails, ...

(TDCJ) operates the Waxahachie District Parole Office in Sherman.

Federal government

At the federal level, the two U.S. senators from Texas are Republicans

John Cornyn John Cornyn III ( ; born February 2, 1952) is an American politician and attorney serving as the senior United States senator from Texas, a seat he has held since 2002. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the Senate majority whip for ...

and

Ted Cruz Rafael Edward "Ted" Cruz (; born December 22, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States Senator from Texas since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Cruz served as Solicitor General of Texas from ...

; since 2003, Waxahachie has been part of

Texas's 6th congressional district Texas's 6th congressional district of the United States House of Representatives is in an area that includes Ellis and Navarro counties to the south and southeast of the Dallas/Fort Worth area plus the southeast corner of Tarrant County. As of ...

, which is currently represented by Republican

Jake Ellzey John Kevin "Jake" Ellzey Sr. (born January 24, 1970) is an American politician and former military officer serving as the U.S. representative for Texas's 6th congressional district. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a me ...

. The

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...

operates the Waxahachie Post Office.

Education

Primary and secondary

Waxahachie is served by the

Waxahachie Independent School District The Waxahachie Independent School District is a public school district located in Waxahachie, Texas, a suburban community serving as the county seat for Ellis County, which adjoins Dallas County to the north. Waxahachie ISD is a district of abou ...

(WISD), which currently has eight elementary campuses, three middle school campuses, and two high schools. WISD aims to offer all of its students a well-rounded education and offers advanced-placement and dual-credit courses, as well as varied career and technology courses.

Waxahachie High School Waxahachie High School is a public high school in the city of Waxahachie, Texas, United States and classified as a 6A school by the University Interscholastic League (UIL). It is a part of the Waxahachie Independent School District located in ce ...

, classified as 6A, offers a range of extracurricular activities to its students, including football, volleyball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's soccer, baseball, softball, golf, tennis, concert and marching band, drama, choir, drill team, and dozens of academic teams and clubs. The football program made the playoffs every year from 1989 to 2010.

Waxahachie Global High School Waxahachie Global High School is a high school in Waxahachie, Texas, founded in 2007 on the historic T.C. Wilemon campus. It is one of only 91 STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) academies in the state of Texas. It was additi ...

, an ECHS T-STEM school emphasizing instruction in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in a small-learning-community environment, opened on August 27, 2007. In addition to the district schools,

Life School Life School is a charter school operator headquartered in Red Oak, Texas. Life School was chartered in the state of Texas in 1998 and has campuses in Dallas-Fort Worth, Cedar Hill, Carrollton, Lancaster, Oak Cliff, Red Oak, Waxahachie, and Wes ...

, a public charter-school system, operates the 7–12 Waxahachie campus.Contact Us
."

. Retrieved on September 2, 2011. "950 South I-35E Lancaster, TX 75146" On April 15, 2014, Life School broke ground on a new high school in Waxahachie, planned to accommodate about 1,000 9th–12th graders.

Private schools

There are several private schools including Waxahachie Preparatory Academy (WPA), St Joseph Catholic School, and First Christian Day School. WPA and the First Christian Day School offer a kindergarten–grade 12 education, while St Joseph only has grades Pre-K–8.

Colleges and universities

Two postsecondary educational institutions have campuses in the city of Waxahachie.

Navarro College Navarro College is a public community college in Texas with its main campus in Corsicana and branches in Fairfield, Mexia, Midlothian, and Waxahachie. The college has an annual student enrollment of more than 9,000 students. The Corsicana ...

, a

community college A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior sec ...

based in

Corsicana, Texas Corsicana is a city in Navarro County, Texas, United States. It is located on Interstate 45, 56 miles northeast of Waco, Texas. The population was 23,770 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Navarro County, and an important Agri-busines ...

, has a campus in Waxahachie.

, a private, four-year university affiliated with the

Assemblies of God The Assemblies of God (AG), officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 144 autonomous self-governing national groupings of churches that together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination."Assemblies of God". ...

, offers accredited undergraduate and graduate degrees. File:Sagu.jpg, Southwestern Assemblies of God University in Waxahachie File:Second Trinity University Campus 1.JPG, Second Trinity University Campus 1

Media

Revised, Waxahachie Daily Light office IMG 5613

The ''

Waxahachie Daily Light The Waxahachie Daily Light is a newspaper serving Ellis County, Texas. Its daily circulation is 2,300. History The Waxahachie Daily Light started publishing in 1867 and it is the only paper serving Ellis County that started before 1900 and is s ...

'' has served the town since 1891, and the first newspaper in Waxahachie, the ''Waxahachie Argus'', was established in 1870. Additionally, there are 47 radio stations within close listening range of Waxahachie.

Photo Gallery

Image:Downtown Waxahachie 3 Wiki (1 of 1).jpg, Downtown Waxahachie Image:Downtown Waxahachie 2 Wiki (1 of 1).jpg, Downtown Waxahachie Image:Downtown Waxahachie 1 Wiki (1 of 1).jpg, Downtown Waxahachie

Infrastructure

Health care

Both Altus Emergency Center and Baylor Scott & White Health at Waxahachie provide emergency services locally, as does Ennis Regional Medical Center, about 14 miles away in

Ennis Ennis () is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in County Clare, with a population of 25,27 ...

. Between 2003 and 2010, Waxahachie's healthcare industry added 555 jobs, making it the city's fourth-largest employment sector.

Transportation

Interstate 35E is a major north-south freeway serving as a bypass around the west side of Waxahachie. The freeway connects with

Red Oak The genus Oak, ''Quercus'' contains about 500 species, some of which are listed here. The genus, as is the case with many List of the largest genera of flowering plants, large genera, is Taxonomic rank#Ranks in botany, divided into subgenus, subgen ...

, Desoto/ Lancaster, and

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

to the north;

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, Hillsboro, and

Waco Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the st ...

to the south. * US 287

U.S. Route 287 U.S. Route 287 (US 287) is a north–south (physically northwest–southeast) United States highway. At long, it is the second longest three-digit U.S. Route, behind US 281. It serves as the major truck route between Fort Worth and Ama ...

, also a freeway, runs in a northwest-southeast direction through the north side of the city. The freeway connects with

Midlothian Midlothian (; gd, Meadhan Lodainn) is a historic county, registration county, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh, ...

Mansfield Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area (followed by Sutton-in-Ashfield). It gained the Royal Charter of a market tow ...

, and

Fort Worth Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...

to the west and Ennis to the east. * US 77

U.S. Route 77 U.S. Route 77 (US 77) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway which extends for in the central United States. As of 2005, Its southern terminus is in Brownsville, Texas, at Veteran's International Bridge on the Mexican border, whe ...

, a north-south highway, serves as the main thoroughfare through the city, passing through downtown and the north side of the city. The highway parallels Interstate 35 and reconnects with the interstate just outside the city limits. Many of the city's commercial developments line Highway 77.

Notable people

Robert Benton Robert Douglas Benton (born September 29, 1932) is an American screenwriter and film director. He is best known as the writer and director of the film ''Kramer vs. Kramer'', for which he won the Academy Award for Best Director and Best Adapted S ...

, won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for ''

Places in the Heart ''Places in the Heart'' is a 1984 American film written and directed by Robert Benton. It stars Sally Field, Lindsay Crouse, Ed Harris, Ray Baker, Amy Madigan, John Malkovich, Danny Glover, Jerry Haynes and Terry O'Quinn. The film's narrative fo ...

'', which was filmed in Waxahachie *

Jammal Brown Jammal Filbert Brown (born March 30, 1981) is a former American football offensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football for the University of Oklahoma, and received unanimous All-A ...

, professional football player *

Tevin Campbell Tevin Jermod Campbell (born November 12, 1976) is an American singer and songwriter. He performed gospel in his local church from an early age. Following an audition for jazz musician Bobbi Humphrey in 1988, Campbell was signed to Warner Bros. Re ...

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

-nominated R&B singer *

Emanuel Cleaver Emanuel Cleaver II (born October 26, 1944) is a United Methodist pastor and American politician who has represented in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2005. Cleaver represents a district that includes the southern three-fourths of Kans ...

, U.S. Representative *

Bessie Coleman Bessie Coleman (January 26, 1892April 30, 1926) was an early American civil aviator. She was the first African-American woman and first Native American to hold a pilot license. She earned her license from the '' Fédération Aéronautique In ...

, first female African-American pilot (born in

Atlanta, Texas Atlanta is a city in Cass County, northeastern Texas, United States. According to the 2010 U.S. census, the city had a population of 5,675, which decreased to 5,433 in 2020. History Atlanta was established in 1872 with the building of the Texas ...

; moved to Waxahachie at age 2) *

Elizabeth Otis Dannelly Elizabeth Otis Dannelly ( Marshall; June 13, 1838 – March 21, 1896) was a 19th-century American writer of Southern poetry. Born in Georgia, she was the author, ''Cactus, or Thorns and Blossoms'' and ''Wayside Flowers''. Early life and educat ...

, poet *

Frederic Forrest Frederic Fenimore Forrest Jr. (born December 23, 1936) is an American actor. Forrest came to public attention for his performance in ''When the Legends Die'' (1972), which earned him a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Most Promising N ...

, Oscar-nominated actor *

Robert J. Groden Robert J. Groden (born November 22, 1945) is an American author who has written extensively about conspiracy theories regarding the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy. His books include ''The Killing of a President: The Complete Ph ...

, JFK assassination expert, released the

Zapruder film The Zapruder film is a silent 8mm color motion picture sequence shot by Abraham Zapruder with a Bell & Howell home-movie camera, as United States President John F. Kennedy's motorcade passed through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, on November ...

on national TV on March 6, 1975 *

Josie Briggs Hall Josie Briggs Hall (September 17, 1869 – October 25, 1935) was an American writer and teacher. She wrote the first book published by a black Texan woman. Life Josie Briggs was born in Waxahachie, Texas, on September 17, 1869. Her parents, Henry ...

, author of ''A Scroll of Facts and Advice'' (Houx’s Printery, 1905), the first book published by a black woman Texan *

Bill Ham Billy Mack Ham (February 4, 1937 – June 20, 2016) was an American music impresario, best known as the manager, producer, and image-maker for the blues-rock band ZZ Top. Ham also gained prominence in the country music world by discovering and man ...

, manager for

ZZ Top ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. For 51 years, they comprised vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard and vocalist-bassist Dusty Hill, until Hill's death in 2021. ZZ Top developed a signature sound ...

Dale Hansen Dale Eugene Hansen (born August 2, 1948) is an American sportscaster, who formerly worked as the weeknight sports anchor during the 10 pm newscasts on ABC's Dallas affiliate WFAA, who left the station on September 2, 2021. He formerly als ...

, sports anchor WFAA-TV Channel 8 Dallas, Texas *

Desmond Mason Desmond Tremaine Mason (born October 11, 1977) is an American painter and former professional basketball player. He played as a shooting guard and small forward. Mason has also found success as an artist, working in a variety of media. Currently, ...

, professional basketball player *

Julie Miller Julie Anne Miller (born Julie Griffin, July 12, 1956) is a songwriter, singer, and recording artist living in Nashville, Tennessee. She married Buddy Miller in 1981. They sing and play on each other's solo projects and have recorded three duet ...

, songwriter, singer, and recording artist *

Dick Murdoch Hoyt Richard Murdoch (August 16, 1946 – June 15, 1996) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring names "Dirty" Dick Murdoch and "Captain Redneck". He was best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation and New Jap ...

, professional wrestler *

Byron Nelson John Byron Nelson Jr. (February 4, 1912 – September 26, 2006) was an American professional golfer between 1935 and 1946, widely considered one of the greatest golfers of all time. Nelson and two other legendary champions of the time, Ben Hog ...

, professional golfer *

Jim Pitts James R. Pitts (born January 1, 1947), known as Jim Pitts, is an American state politician and lawyer who served in the Texas House of Representatives from 1993 to 2015. He was the chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee for four ...

, former member of the

* Paul Richards, Major League Baseball player, manager and executive *

Broderick Sargent Broderick Lawrence Sargent (born September 16, 1962) is a former American football fullback in the National Football League (NFL) for the St. Louis Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys. He also was a member of the Montreal Machine in the World League of A ...

, professional football player *

Brian Waters Brian Demond Waters (born February 18, 1977) is a former American football guard. He was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 1999 out of the University of North Texas. He played most of his career for the Kansas City Chiefs ...

, professional football player * John Wray, former member of the Texas House of Representatives and former mayor of Waxahachie

In popular culture

In the mid-1980s, Waxahachie became a filming location for the movie industry. The majority of ''

Tender Mercies ''Tender Mercies'' is a 1983 American drama (film and television), drama film directed by Bruce Beresford. The screenplay by Horton Foote focuses on Mac Sledge, a recovering alcoholism, alcoholic country music singer who seeks to turn his life aro ...

'', a 1983 film about a country western singer, was filmed in Waxahachie. Director

Bruce Beresford Bruce Beresford (; born 16 August 1940) is an Australian film director who has made more than 30 feature films over a 50-year career, both locally and internationally in the United States. Beresford's notable films he has directed include ''Br ...

deliberately avoided the city's picturesque elements and Victorian architecture, and instead filmed more rural locations that more closely resembled the

West Texas West Texas is a loosely defined region in the U.S. state of Texas, generally encompassing the arid and semiarid lands west of a line drawn between the cities of Wichita Falls, Abilene, and Del Rio. No consensus exists on the boundary betwee ...

area. The Texas town portrayed in ''Tender Mercies'' is never specifically identified. ''Tender Mercies'' starred

Robert Duvall Robert Selden Duvall (; born January 5, 1931) is an American actor and filmmaker. His career spans more than seven decades and he is considered one of the greatest American actors of all time. He is the recipient of an Academy Award, four Gold ...

, who won the 1983 Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the film. The 1984 film ''

'' starring

Sally Field Sally Margaret Field (born November 6, 1946) is an American actress. She has received many awards and nominations, including two Academy Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Cannes Film F ...

was also filmed in Waxahachie. Unlike ''Tender Mercies'', it was filmed deliberately in the town square and used the

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...

and

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

homes still intact in the area. Field won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1985 for her role in the film. The 1985 film ''

The Trip to Bountiful ''The Trip to Bountiful'' is a 1985 American drama film directed by Peter Masterson and starring Geraldine Page, John Heard, Carlin Glynn, Richard Bradford and Rebecca De Mornay. It was adapted by Horton Foote from his 1953 play of the same na ...

'' starring

Geraldine Page Geraldine Sue Page (November 22, 1924June 13, 1987) was an American actress. With a career which spanned four decades across film, stage, and television, Page was the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Acade ...

was also filmed in Waxahachie. Page won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1986 for her role in ''Bountiful''. Other movies made in or around Waxahachie are: * ''1918'', directed by Ken Harrison, tells of the severe influenza outbreak after soldiers returned from World War I. Local talent in the film includes L.T. Felty, a former high-school principal and local actor, who was cast as the mayor. * ''On Valentine's Day'', also directed by Ken Harrison, is the central film in Horton Foote's semiautobiographical trilogy that also includes ''Courtship'' and ''1918''. It is a nearly verbatim retelling of his stage play and the sets and costumes. * ''Missionary Man'' stars

Dolph Lundgren Hans Lundgren (, ; born 3 November 1957), better known as Dolph Lundgren, is a Swedish actor, filmmaker and martial artist. His breakthrough came in 1985, when he starred in ''Rocky IV'' as the imposing Soviet boxer Ivan Drago. Since then, Lu ...

and was filmed in downtown Waxahachie around the Rogers Hotel. * ''The Curse of Inferno'', starring

Pauly Shore Paul Montgomery Shore (born February 1, 1968) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker best known for his roles in 1990s comedy films. Shore began as a stand-up comedian at the age of 17, before becoming an MTV VJ in 1989. This led to a sta ...

and

Janine Turner Janine Turner (born Janine Loraine Gauntt; December 6, 1962) is an American actress best known for her roles as Maggie O'Connell in the television series ''Northern Exposure'', as Jessie Deighan in the feature film ''Cliffhanger'', and as Katie ...

Additionally, the long-running television series ''

Walker, Texas Ranger ''Walker, Texas Ranger'' is an American action crime television series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis. It was inspired by the film ''Lone Wolf McQuade'', with both this series and that film starring Chuck Norris as a member of the Texa ...

'', starring

Chuck Norris Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris (born March 10, 1940) is an American martial artist and actor. He is a black belt in Tang Soo Do, Brazilian jiu jitsu and judo. After serving in the United States Air Force, Norris won many martial arts championshi ...

, was filmed in Waxahachie on occasion. Some scenes in ''

Prison Break ''Prison Break'' is an American serial (radio and television), serial drama television show, television series created by Paul Scheuring for Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox. The series revolves around two brothers, Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purce ...

'' were filmed in Waxahachie. Scenes from ''

Bonnie and Clyde Bonnie Elizabeth Parker (October 1, 1910May 23, 1934) and Clyde Chestnut (Champion) Barrow (March 24, 1909May 23, 1934) were an American criminal couple who traveled the Central United States with their gang during the Great Depression. The co ...

'' (1967) were also shot here. In 2018, an animated short film from

Crypt TV Crypt TV is an American entertainment company focused on developing, producing and distributing horror themed digital content, with an emphasis on monsters and recurring characters in linked universes. It was founded by Jack Davis and Eli Roth in ...

titled ''Dark Vessel'' featured the town as its 1977-based setting.Archived a
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine
In 2021,

Miranda Lambert Miranda Leigh Lambert (born November 10, 1983) is an American country singer and guitarist. Born in Longview, Texas, she started out in early 2001 when she released her self-titled debut album independently. In 2003, she finished in third place o ...

Jon Randall Jon Randall Stewart (born February 17, 1969) is an American producer, songwriter, and musician. His career began as a guitarist for Emmylou Harris' Nash Ramblers with whom he won his first Grammy for their ''Live at the Ryman'' album in 1992. B ...

and

Jack Ingram Jack Owen Ingram (born November 15, 1970) is an American country music artist formerly signed to Big Machine Records, an independent record label. He has released eleven studio albums, one extended play, six live albums, and 19 singles. Although ...

released a song named for the city on their acoustic album ''

The Marfa Tapes ''The Marfa Tapes'' is a collaborative studio album by American country artists Miranda Lambert, Jack Ingram and Jon Randall, released on May 7, 2021 through RCA Nashville. It is Randall's fourth, Lambert's eighth, and Ingram's eleventh studio alb ...

''. It was later recorded again with full production for inclusion on Lambert's solo album ''

Palomino Palomino is a genetic color in horses, consisting of a gold coat and white mane and tail; the degree of whiteness can vary from bright white to yellow. Genetically, the palomino color is created by a single allele of a dilution gene called t ...

'' in 2022.

Sister cities

Sabinas Sabinas is a city in Sabinas Municipality of the same name located in the northeastern quadrant of the state of Coahuila in Mexico. Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía. Principales resultados por localidad 2005 (ITER). Retrieved on ...

in Coahuila, Mexico, has been proposed as Waxahachie's

sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...

. Sabinas is located about south of

Eagle Pass, Texas Eagle Pass is a city in and the county seat of Maverick County in the U.S. state of Texas. Its population was 28,130 as of the 2020 census. Eagle Pass borders the city of Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, which is to the southwest and across th ...

References

External links

City of Waxahachie official website

Texas State Historical Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Waxahachie, Texas Cities in Texas Cities in Ellis County, Texas County seats in Texas Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex