The Train Stations of Waxahachie
When I was in high school, I met my first Waxahachian, or whatever you call
people from Waxahachie. He had just moved to Paris, and I thought he was
gorgeous, with his dimpled cheeks and strong chin. He seemed to be the
strong, silent type. I never went out with him, because a) my mantra was that
I'd never date anyone I'd see walking down the hallways at school the next
day, just in case I had done something I would be embarrassed by, and b) he
never asked me. C'est la vie.

I don't even remember this guy's name, and he's about all I know of
Waxahachie. I decided to learn more, but not for any romantic reasons - I
just wanted to know what was behind all the moanings and carrying-ons
about Waxahchie's Victorian architecture and the gargoyles on the
courthouse. At least once a year the Dallas Morning News has some
write-up about a day trip to Waxahachie, and while I've been to the annual
Scarsborough Faire, I still don't know much about the town. So guess what I
did?
A Visit to Waxahachie

I must admit, Waxahachie has one of the nicest downtowns
I've seen in a while. In the center sits a remarkably
well-scrubbed courthouse, famous for the sandstone carvings
done by an Italian sculptor who apparently used the likeness of
a woman who spurned his advances as the model for the many
cherub faces on the friezes. The courthouse is surrounded by
high curbed sidewalks, a soda fountain (closed due to illness),
and brick buildings renovated into apartments. Just a block
north sits the old jail, which has been converted into attorney's
offices. A small stream and park nestled at the foot of the jail
building looks a little like a moat surrounding a fortress. All of
this is so quaint it would make even the most cynical visitor
say something fairly nice.
What Finds!

While the city has marked an auto tour around the downtown
area, I decided to skip that, since I've never been too
impressed by Victorian architecture. Instead, I spent some
time poking around the southern end of downtown, by South
Rogers Street. There, I found two (three?) abandoned train
stations near the tracks. One track was still used, but the other
had succumbed to weeds and various debris. There may have
been a third track, but I didn't see it.

Though Waxahachie was founded prior to the Civil War, its
existence as a chartered town didn't begin until 1871. Like
most towns in Texas, the arrival of the railroad solidified
Waxahachie's existence. The first one was the Waxahachie
Tap Railroad, a citizen-sponsored rail line which ran a line to
Garrett in the east to connect to the Houston-Texas-Central line
so that the city would not be bypassed by the railroads.
Later,that line was bought out by Union Pacific.

That brings me to the first of the depots. Union Pacific freight
rail stations are never much to look at, consisting basically of a
long, wooden barn/shed. That's why so few exist. However,
right there on the south end of Waxahachie sits a UP station - at
least my research (albeit not too deep) and former sightings of
other UP freight stations portend it as such.

Across from the Feed Store sits another depot, with a platform
made of Thurber pavers. The depot faces an abandoned track
and, if my hunches hold up, may be the old KATY (Missouri
Kansas Texas) station. What is even cooler is the telegraph
pole and the signal pole that sit next to the track.

Behind the alleged KATY depot sits the best of the three
depots. With its turret and yellow brick, it has all the markings
of a Santa Fe station.
But wait!

I consulted my handy "SPV's Comprehensive Railroad Atlas of
North America - Texas Edition," to see what railroads crossed
through Waxahachie and sure enough, I see Union
Pacific (formerly Houston-Texas-Central), Burlington Northern
Santa Fe (formerly the Trinity and Brazos Valley Railway), and
another Union Pacific (what was once the KATY).

Since obviously the "Santa Fe Station" harks back to the time
before the Burlington - Santa Fe merger of 1996, it stands to
reason that the station may have actually been
built by the Trinity and Brazos Valley Railway in 1907, or
re-furbished to look more like a Burlington Station once that
railroad (as the Burlington-Rock Island) took over
in 1930.

Whew!

Maybe my sleuthing is right or wrong... but whatever the case, I
hope that someone more knowledgeable will point out to me
what I might have missed. What I find strange is that I couldn't
find a historical marker anywhere near the depots. I'm sure
that the Ellis County or Waxahachie Historical
Commissions/Societies are making sure to protect them, but I
wonder why they're not prominently marked, as they are in the
midst of the Waxahachie Historic District and sit close by a
preserved truss bridge.

That these three stations exist at all is just absolutely fantastic!
The jail building dates from the 1880s and had a carousel system of
security. Today, it houses attorneys (insert lawyer joke here).
The UP Freight Station (maybe..) near grain silos that sit behind the
Feed Store.
This beautiful Feed Store sits amidst all these historic
depots. I visited on a Sunday, otherwise I would have
gone in and asked some questions.
This is the KATY depot, from what I've been learning.
I believe this is the Trinity-Brazos Depot, which later on
became the Santa Fe depot. The roof line (minus the turret)
is actually the same as the Santa Fe depot in Corsicana.
Across from the Burlington/TBV station are telegraph
lines and a signal pole.
Waxahachie (Wahk-sah-ha-chee) is a Wichita word that means
"Buffalo Creek." It's located at the intersections of Interstate 35,
US 287, and US 77 south of Dallas in Ellis County. Click on the
map to see for yourself!
To learn more about Waxahachie, click these
links:

Waxahachie Towne Center

City of Waxahachie