Waxahachie (Images of America)

Located in the center of Ellis County, Waxahachie has been the county's vibrant heartbeat since the town was formed in 1850. From its glory days in the early 1900s as the nation's largest cotton-producing area to the thriving city it is today, Waxahachie-much like its beautiful stock of Victorian and early-20th-century homes and buildings-is unique in Texas. Waxahachie's economy flourished up until the 1920s, when cotton farmers in South and West Texas began to compete with other lucrative cotton markets. When the Great Depression arrived, demand for cotton fell, marking the end of Ellis County's quick rise in commercial success. The town's dramatic history ranges from celebrated prosperity and culture to economic hardship, all of which can be seen in the well-preserved photographs in this book.