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No.1 March 30,2015
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Coming Events
Dedication of Mural
April 19,2015
Gingerbread Trail
June 6-7
Dear Members of Historic Waxahachie,
Waxahachie may have been a quiet little village at one time, but it is quiet no more!
Lots of things are going on, from the downtown to the city limits and beyond. Waxahachie is
growing and changing, and there are many opportunities in this change. But, of course, there
are some challenges, too.
When we look at the astounding rate of growth of houses and commercial spaces in
Waxahachie, and consider the number of irreplaceable historic places that we have lost, we
realize that each remaining historic building is more and more valuable. And vulnerable.
Historic Waxahachie works to preserve this valuable inheritance we have received
from the generations before us, and to support adapting these buildings and places to be living
parts of our community today. They are an essential link to our unique identity. And they
inspire us to honor the principles used by those before us of building to last, architectural integrity and civic-mindedness, as we are swept along into the future.
Thank you for supporting this important work. This place matters!
Sincerely,
Nancy Post, President
Historic Waxahachie Encourages Restoration
A View from the Past to the Future
As we all know windows are an important element of any building. Buildings in downtown Waxahachie have a variety of windows that are surrounded by colorful sashes and accent
colors. The colors can wear away and need to be replaced. Like the lenses in our eyes, the window panes can become scratched orjust need to be replaced.
One current example of window restoration is that of the Webb Art Gallery. The building was constructed in 1902 with seven windows fronting Franklin Street on the second floor.
The condition of the wooden frames had deteriorated to the point that some of the panes
were threatening to
Owners of the Gallery, Bruce and Julie Webb approached HWI to request a fagade grant to help fund the project. Following the guidelines, they took their plans to
the Heritage Preservation Commission which governs the downtown historic overlay district.
After approval from the commission, the plans were sent to HWI board members. With unanimous approval the Webb Gallery received a S5,000 grant for work on the Franklin Street Win-
fall.
dows.
Repairing the windows requires a master craftsman who meticulously works on each
element of wood and glass. Such a craftsman is Jeff Smith, former Waxahachie resident who
now has a home in Maryland. Jeff and his wife, Sue Ellen, have been here since November
when they began work on the 48 windows at the Ellis County Museum. Having completed that
project, they have moved their talents to the Webb Gallery.
Jeff Smith works from
lift
on windows.
"Legends" Celebrates Baseball
Funded by Historic Waxahachie, Inc. the "Legends" baseball mural located on the Wa:<ahachie City Parks and Recreation Building depicts eras of
baseball players from early 1900's to today.
The mural was painted by Eyecon artists who worked from
September until November to complete the drawing approved by the HWI board.
Anita Brown, Downtown Development and Heritage Preservation Officer
As Downtown Development Director and Heritage Preservation Oficerfor the
City of l4racahachie, I hove the opportunity to be involvedwith A LOT of dffirent groups
qnd to see how they operate. I hove always beenvery impressedwith Historic Wqxahachie, Inc. as being one of the most committed and ffictive groups in the city- They are
great stewards ofthefunds entrusted to them and plan and qcecute each project/objective
well. Their accomplishments continue to grow eachyear. Afew of the projects they have
done that hqve been a greot help to me in my work are the informationql brochures about
researching your property, the walking and driving tours, and the fagade grant program. Thqt also contributedfunds to the creation of our Downtown Design Guidelines and
our historic resource surveys. The annual Hllll awardsfor preservation also provide supportfor our yearly Main Street report.
Anyone who is interested in preservation and protecting the historic fabric of our
wonderful city should consider membership in Historic lAaxqhachie, Inc. They can be assured thqt their membership dues are being spent wisely and on projects thqt truly hcve an
impact.
Anita Brown
Preservation Activities/EducationlAwareness
September 2013 through August 2014
September 5, 2013-Anita Williamson gave the "Ten Years of Main Street" presentation to Waxahachie 101
September 13,2013-Anita Williamson gave the "Ten Years of Main Street" presentation to Leadership Waxahachie
September 26,2013-Ellis County Museum Brown Bag lunch; Wendel Dickason,
"Baseball in the 1860's"
September 28,2013--{hautauqua Assembly; Car Crazy: An American Love Affair
October 21,2013-Anita Williamson and Laurie Mosely gave a presentation on
Main Street to Ennis representatives
October 31,2013-Ellis County Museum Brown Bag lunch; George Cole, "The
Waxahachie Powder
Mill"
November 5, 20l3-Reception for Representative Jim Pitts and to recognize Texas
Treasure Business Award recipients--College Street Printing and Happy's Home
Furnishings
December 7-8
& 14-15,2013--landlelight
Home Tour; tour of historic homes
benefitting the WDMA
January 26,2014-HWI annual membership meeting and preservation awards;
David Preziosi, Director of Preservation Dallas was the speaker; preservation
awards given for commercial and residential properties and preservation leadership
January 30,2014-Ellis County Museum Brown Bag lunch; Scott Green, "General
Edward H. Tarrant"
February 27,2014-Ellis County Museum Brown Bag lunch; Elmerine Bell, "The
Remnants of St. Mary's Cemetery"
March 20 & 27 ,201+-Lighthouse for Leaming Continuing Ed classes; Ellen
Beasley, "Waxahachie Architecture"
March 27,2014-Ellis County Museum Brown Bag lunch; Jim Templin, "Ennis
History"
April24,2014-Ellis County Museum Brown
Bag lunch; Rusty Brenner, o'Texas
Cemetery Restoration"
May 20l4-Preservation Month
May 5th-Waxahachie City Council issued a Proclamation declaring May as
"Preseryation Month"
May 8th-Anita Williamson gave a presentation on Main Street and downtown to
the city employee academy
May 9e-Members of HPC delivered historic property coloring books to Clift Elementary and spoke on preservation
May l3th-Members of FIPC delivered coloring books to Felty Elementary and
spoke on preservation
May 16th-Members of HPC delivered coloring books to Northside Elementary
and spoke on preservation
May 18th-Members of HPC and HWI toured the Wilson Block in Dallas; David
Preziosi of Preservation Dallas was their tour guide
May 20th--4ne HPC member and two HWI members attended the Preservation
Texas Conference in Austin
2014-466 Annual Gingerbread Trail Tour of Homes benefitting the
Ellis County Museum
June 16,2014-Waxahachie city council presents Texas Treasure Business Award
to Maxwell Jewelry
June 7-8,
July 12,20l4-Historic Waxahachie, Inc. annual ice cream social and membership
drive
July 28'2014-Ellis County Museum Annual Membership Meeting; program was
"Ellis County Pioneer Women: The Stories of Their Lives, 1840-1858"; five local
historians acted out the parts of the women
Progress: Waxahachie continues to be a very preservation-minded community.
There is at least one activity/event every month that promotes the history and preservation of this town and/or county. Members of various groups are constantly
seeking new and interesting ways to relate the preservation message to the community and they are doing a great job!
Penn Park Youth Center
At the suggestion of Ellen Beasley pictures and measurements were
taken of the Youth Center prior to ifs being demolished. At a later date drawings will be made from this information so there will be a record of the building's existence.
Researched and photographed by Jane Crum
At the end of September 2014the damaged and deteriorating Penn Park Youth
Center was demolished by the city of Waxahachie. The building had a long and useful
life and originally was a school in the cotton farming community of Buena Vista. A
young woman named Jennie Ruth Paul attended this school as a child and then went on
to further her education. She later served as a teacher at the same school during the
years 1942 through 1944. She married Weldon Tucker and had children, one of whom
we all know as HWI, Inc. president, Nancy Post.
The following history and research on Penn Park and the Youth Center was generously contributed by Ellen Beasley.
404 Getzendaner Avenue Lee Penn Park 1936, designation date
East Waxahachie residents had been using and referring to the open area east of
the Union Pacific Railroad tracks and across Getzendaner Street as "the park" long before November 3, 1936, when City Council designated four acres of land given by Mrs.
J. Lee Penn for "a colored park...to be known as the 'Lee Penn Park.' " Carroll Davis,
born in 1921, vividly remembers watching Oak Lawn School play football here in the
late 1920s-early 1930s. Mrs. Penn's gift, named in her husband's memory, stipulated
that the City supervise and maintain the park and not charge an admission fee.
Over the years, volunteers and service organizations from both the black and the
white communities in Waxahachie have been instrumental in making improvements and
maintaining the park. In spring 1954 and in response to a proposal from East Waxahachie residents, City Council appointed a five-member Colored Council "to represent any
community effort of the colored citizenry." Henry Hereford, who had owned a barber
shop on East Main Street since the early 1920s, was appointed mayor. High on the
group's first list of requests was maintenance of Penn Park beginning with the removal
of 17 dead trees. The City followed up by promising to budget suflicient appropriations
to maintain not only the park but also "the Colored part of the City Cemetery."
The Regular Fellows Club, comprised of leaders in the East Waxahachie community with George Brown serving as president initiated efforts to build a youth center
in the park in spring 1957. Several women's organizations supponed the project including the Friendship Social Club, the Royal Art and Charity Club, the Ladies Aid Club, and
the Beauticians Club. Unable to raise the monies to build the new structure for which
they had plans, the groups began searching for a building to move. The Buena Vista
school board responded and donated a vacated circa 1925 frame school house that has
served as the Penn Park Youth Center since late 1957-early 1958. For many years, it has
been home to the Rock Solid Boxing Club run by Ernest "Big E" Smith, a former professional boxer and one-time sparring partner of Muhammad Ali.
Spring 1964 saw construction of the Penn Park Little League Baseball Diamond, a project that received city-wide support not to mention baseballs sent for the
summer opening by Paul Nchards who was general manager of the Houston Colt 45's at
the time. The swimming pool was added in 1969 and the bath house in 1971.
Today, Penn Park is used by citizens from throughout the city but by virtue of
its location, remains especially popular with East Waxahachie residents. Maintenance
and facility upgrades continue to be a shared responsibility of the City Parks Department
staff and volunteer resources.
Other information on Penn Park was supplied by Waxahachie City Manager,
Paul Stevens, John Smith, Director of Parks and Recreation, Chuck Beatfy, City Councilman and Nancy Post.
Find us on Facebook at historicwaxahachieinc
And
historicwaxahachie.com for more information.