Every year about this time in Waxahachie, Tx is the Gingerbread Tour of Homes. Some lovely people are kind enough to open their homes to the public. This year there were 5 homes on the tour. Most all of the homes are on some kind of historic registry in Waxahachie.
Waxahachie is in Ellis County about an hour south of Dallas. Driving around town there is like going back in time. Joining me on the tour were my mom and my Aunt Cheryl. Our first stop was the Ellis County Museum. The structure was built in 1889 and now houses artifacts about Ellis county. This is where we bought our tickets. As part of the tour, we were allowed to walk around the museum.
This was one of the signs on display in the museum. My mother said it was this poster that inspired her to join the United States Navy in 1965.
Among the other cool things in the museum were some dresses that appear to have been in style in the 1800s. People sure were small back then. As one of the docents pointed out - they didn't have McDonald's back then. Nor did they have cars. People mostly had to walk so that probably helped keep them thin. Oh, and the women had corsets. Ugh!
Here's the Ellis County Museum. The store that's next to the museum is called 'Two Dudes and a Chick'. They were closed.
Everyone waiting for the bus to take us to the first house on the tour.
Ellis County Courthouse. The courthouse was built in 1895.
The clock on the spire of the courthouse. There were tours available but we ran out of time.
Mom and Cheryl waiting for the bus.
The first house on the tour was the 'Cole House'. This is a Queen Anne style home that was bought by J.F. Strickland back in 1889. Strickland and his wife didn't move in until 1893. The lady that owned the house was there. She gave a talk about the furniture in her bedroom. The set was built back in the 1800s and was gorgeous! The lady was very entertaining as she told us the story of how she and her husband purchased the furniture.
The house is for sale if you're interested. This was the coolest house on the tour, in my opinion. Unfortunately, we couldn't take pictures inside. This is a very large house. When you walk in, immediately to the left is a room that is currently set up as a bedroom. It could be 'walled off' by closing the pocket doors. In fact, all the rooms on the bottom floor could be closed off by closing the pocket doors. Some of the pocket doors went up into the ceiling instead of to the side into the wall. That window at the very top of the house was a little room. There was a ladder that lead up there but we couldn't climb up. There were two doors up there. One led to another room and the other led outside. Hmm....
The next house on the tour was the Loose Home. This home was originally owned by Mary McDonald and was built around 1948. It was purchased by the Eubank family sometime in the late '50s or early '60s and remained in that family until 2009.
The house had fallen into disrepair. It was restored by the Loose family.
Cheryl and Mom waiting for the bus.
Still at the Loose Home waiting for the bus. So here's the thing: on the tour, you can take the shuttle from house to house but you have to wait. This particular wait was extremely long. My mom has a bit of arthritis in her ankle and was in bad shape by the time the bus finally came. We decided to break for lunch (it was noon, after all) and resume the tour in our own car.
There weren't a lot of dining options. We decided on the historic and supposedly haunted Catfish Plantation. This place has burned down and been rebuilt. It's in an old house. There's a book in the waiting area where people have documented their experiences with the 'other side'. We were hoping for an encounter with a ghostly being ourselves but settled for lunch instead.
After lunch, we resumed the tour. This time we chose to drive to each of the houses so that we wouldn't be at the mercy of the bus. This house was built by local businessman and farmer Norman J. Thomas in 1924. The style is 'colonial revival'. This house was nice. In the driveway is an antique roadster from the '20s. In the kitchen, they have what must be an original refrigerator from when electricity was first invented. The thing still works too! The back yard was awesome! The owners had wedding dresses on display that belonged to their ancestors. One was a great-great grandmother who got married back in the 1800s.
This is the Wedel Home. It was built by grocer Oscar B. Sims around 1883. He sold it to his brother after a year or so. Again, it's a shame that we couldn't take photos inside (although I do understand why). When you walk in the door there's a staircase immediately to the left that curves up and around to the right. The owner said that it was kind of a tight fit, which is why they closed off the upstairs. They still had the original tub, which was six feet long!
The Wedel Home had a fabulous backyard. They had this lovely pond and a little workshop in the back. Right next to the house was a plumbing business. Waxahachie should really consider zoning...
The last house on the tour was the Guzman home. This house was built by James & Martha Patterson around 1894. When the Guzman's bought the home, they were surprised to find it haunted. According to one of the folks we spoke to, there's an older woman who only stays downstairs. She will move chairs in and out, open and close cabinet doors and the like. There's also a little boy. They aren't sure who the people are or even if the woman and boy are related. The owners did find out that there's a person buried on their land somewhere. Yikes! The upstairs of this house was closed off.
Directly across the street from this house on a lovely piece of property is the Moffet House. The house was not on the tour and was partially hidden by trees but from what we could see, it was magnificent! The house was for sale. Hmm....
Overall, it was a fun day. I enjoyed the company and the houses. Thanks to all the homeowners that opened their houses to a bunch of strangers.
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