WAXAHACHIE TAP RAILROAD. In 1870, when the Houston and Texas Central Railway Company was planning its route into Dallas, Waxahachie was asked to offer a bonus, but refused. The railroad ran east of Waxahachie, and the town of Ennis was established. The citizens of Waxahachie decided to build a railroad to connect with the Houston and Texas Central and chartered the Waxahachie Tap Railroad Company on January 25, 1875. The City of Waxahachie contributed $13,600 in bonds, and thirteen miles of track from Waxahachie to Garrett, three miles north of Ennis, were completed by September 1879. On September 28, 1881, the name of the railroad was changed to the Central Texas and Northwestern Railway Company. At the same time, the company secured the right from the Texas legislature to build into the Panhandle, but no additional construction was done. In 1901 the Central Texas and Northwestern was consolidated with the Houston and Texas Central Railroad Company.

Chris Cravens