Historic Time Lin
Waxahachie
Cotton Mills Company (1899-1934)
The following time line
traces the growth and development of the cotton industry
in the United States, paying particular attention to
the significant role that the Waxahachie Cotton Mills
Company played within the broader context of American
history and the cotton industry. Cotton, however, traces
its history to 6,000 BC in Mexico and Peru. By 3,000
BC, cotton production had
spread to Asia and Europe.
Eventually, cotton became the primary source of fabric
for clothing throughout Europe and the rest of the known
world. Therefore cotton textile manufacturing was recognized
as the oldest and possibly the most important industry
in world history.
1620- Although
cotton was the dominant fabric in the world, it was
wool production that drove the first colonists to the
New World. With no land to till in England, due to excessive
sheep grazing for their wool, the settlers fled the
country with their precious scraps of fabric in bags
to mend and patch their belongings. Avoiding wool for
obvious reasons, cotton became the colonist's fabric
of choice. In fact, the early settlers brought with
them cotton seeds to start an American industry.
1790- The first water
powered spinning mill was built in America. It utilized
young children, ages 7 to 12, as laborers.
1793- The cotton gin
was invented and England began to develop textile machinery
in England to revolutionize the textile industry. The
first cotton mills were established.
1814- New machinery
from England was brought to Massachusetts to greatly
improve spinning efficiency. This event was widely recognized
as the beginning of big business in America.
1820- Cotton mills and
manufacturing operations began in Belgium. The time
frame surrounding this period was widely recognized
as the beginning of industrialization.
1830- The industrial
revolution began on the east coast of America. The cotton
mills of New England began to open and cotton was shipped
from the South to provide raw material for the mills.
At the same time, a few widely scattered cotton mills
appeared in the South.
1850- Waxahachie was
founded as the County Seat of Ellis County, Texas. The
population was comprised of 912 white or "freed
coloreds" and 77 slaves.
1854- The sewing machine
was invented. It not only lowered the price of producing
cotton clothing, but it created a worldwide demand for
finished cotton products. In 1858, the converter was
invented. The Bessemer Converter, which could make 30
tons of high-grade steel in half an hour, greatly assisted
in lowering cotton production costs. In America, the
southern states committed more land to cotton production
to meet world demand. Great fortunes were made raising
cotton with slave labor.
1860- Only 389 bales
of cotton were produced in Ellis County because of the
expense and dificulity of shipping cotton to market,
as well as the lack of sufficient labor. However, there
were 196 slave owners in the County. Texas seceded from
the Union and joined the Confederacy. England, with
all of its cotton mills' sources of Confederate cotton
cut off by the Union blockade, started cotton production
in Egypt, one of its colonies.
1863- The Union Army,
from this time to the end of the war, destroyed many
of the cotton mills of the South. However, there were
no mills in Texas.
1865- The Civil War
ended and the "freed men" were available to
work in the cotton industry.
1875- Prominent citizens
of Waxahachie lobbied to get railroads to serve Ellis
County. The railroads were a critical logistic element
in efficiently getting the cotton to market.
1879- Although it took
a great deal of time and political capital, the first
railroad service to Waxahachie was finally provided
by the Waxahachie Tap Railroad (eventually taken over
by The Houston & Texas Central Railroad). This year,
over 5,000 bales of cotton were shipped, by rail, out
of Ellis County. Additional land was planted to produce
significantly more cotton in the following year.
1880- Waxahachie and
Ellis County produced and ginned 52,172 bales of cotton.
The Industrial Revolution finally moved to the South
with the establishment of new cotton mills. These cotton
mills were located closer to the cotton fields than
in the past.
1883- Cotton oil companies
and cotton gins were established in Waxahachie.
1886- The Missouri-Kansas-Texas
Railroad connected Waxahachie on the south side. This
soon became the "most preferred line" serving
Waxahachie. This line moved the cotton quickly to Galveston,
Texas. The cost of getting cotton to market was greatly
reduced and the importance of cotton continued to grow.
1890- The cotton labor
shortage in Ellis County became critical. Under Edwin.
A. DuBose, a Board of Trade was formed. The Board produced
50,000 copies of a brochure that included facts about
Waxahachie and advertised jobs available to cotton field
workers.
1893- The Depression
of 1893 forced the South to move away from the agricultural
based economy to industrialization.
1897- The beautiful
Richardson Romanesque, James Reily Gordon designed,
Ellis County Courthouse was completed and E. A. DuBose,
native of Alabama and the eleven-year mayor of Waxahachie
and son-in-law of Col. B. W. F. Watson, assisted the
planning committee in the grand opening.
1899- Both the electric
light factory and the Waxahachie Cotton Mills Company
were incorporated. The mill was created by a small group
of ambitious and farsighted men lead by E. A. DuBose.
The economic prosperity of the community was greatly
assisted. Vacant land for the new mill was purchased
next to the Houston & Texas Central Railroad and
a spur was connected to the rear of the planned cotton
mill.
1900- The population
of Waxahachie was now 4,215 and the Waxahachie Cotton
Mills Company construction began. The development included
the surrounding forty-four (44) mill houses (homes for
the workers), company store, church, school and bachelor
house. These structures formed a "mill town"
that was unique in Texas.
1901- The Waxahachie
Cotton Mills Company (one of the first in Texas) opened
its doors to produce finished cotton products. One hundred
four (104) stockholders who were citizens of Ellis County
owned the mill. Ten (10) prominent families put up the
$100,000 capital to start the factory. The factory had
5,000 spindles and 150 looms. It utilized 4,000 to 5,000
bales of cotton per year-all produced in Ellis County.
The primary product was "single file ducking"
used for awnings, tents, sacks and all other "canvas"
type products. A secondary product was toweling cloth.
1901- The officers of
the mill were: E.A. DuBois, President; T. A. Ferris,
Vice President; L. C. Todd, Secretary; J. H. Miller,
Treasurer; and Thomas Howorth, Superintendent.
1904- The concrete block
outside office building was erected because of the excessive
noise on the factory floor. Also, a cotton warehouse
was added and another in 1916.
1907- The production
capacity of the mill was doubled with new additions-the
weaving house. The capitalization of the mill was raised
to $250,000. At this point, the mill was bringing "millions
of dollars" per year to the local community. The
Trinity & Brazos Valley Railroad connected Waxahachie
and Corsicana, Texas.
1910- Ellis County produced
106,304 bales of cotton, making it the largest cotton-producing
County in America. Good climate and lack of the dreaded
boll weevil assisted the County in achieving this historic
status.
1912- The Interurban
Line was extended to connect Waxahachie to Dallas, and
in 1914, it went from Waxahachie to Waco. The electric
line closed in 1949 because of the expanded use of automobiles.
1913- E. A. DuBose died
and his son, E.A. DuBois Jr., was made President
1916- Cotton mill "work
shifts" were instituted "around the clock"
to produce textiles for the World War I effort. The
Waxahachie mill was critical in producing canvas-a material
as important to the WWI effort as plastics are in today's
war efforts-for the troops in Western France.
1920- Cotton was produced
in greater quantities in West and South Texas-hurting
the marketing and demand for Ellis County cotton.
1929- The Great Depression
began and to make matters worse, the dry, hot weather
contributed to low production in the Ellis County cotton
crop.
1930- Nationwide, there
were over 625,000 textile workers who called for a strike
to secure higher wages. The strike, along with the industry-wide
over production, created financial stress on the cotton-manufacturing
sector.
1933- The Cotton Mill
had 9,000 spindles, 48 cards and 150 employees.
1934- During the 1930's,
local cotton production declined and Waxahachie's most
prosperous era came to an end. From 1900 to 1934, the
mill was the most important enterprise in Waxahachie.
Unfortunately, lack of demand forced the Waxahachie
Cotton Mills Company to close. The building was vacant
until sold to Tyler Refrigeration in 1945.
1984- The Waxahachie
Cotton Mills Company was listed on the Hardy Heck Moore,
Inc. survey as a "high priority" property
to save and eligible for the National Register of Historic
Places. In 1987, Historic Waxahachie,
Inc. (HWI) awarded a preservation plaque to the Mill
in recognition of its significance.
2001- Tyler Refrigeration
began to move its operations out of the mill. Texas
Historical Commission's Linda Roark, visited the site
and declared that the mill, with its surrounding worker
houses, "may be the last cotton mill property remaining
in the state." Tyler recognized that there were
possible EPA issues that had to be addressed to make
the property safe for future use.
2001- Bennett Miller,
a Dallas developer and historic restoration specialist,
toured the site at the request of Historic Waxahachie
Inc. (HWI) and declared the property to be sound and
capable of being restored for economically viable alternative
uses.
2002- The results of
the Waxahachie Master Plan research stressed heritage
tourism as the key to the city's economic success. Visionaries
in Preservation (VIP), a community based Texas Historical
Commission program, selected the Cotton Mill a site
critical to the Waxahachie preservation plan. VIP said,
"The site should become a vital active component
of the community and should establish a link between
the downtown and residential areas." VIP suggested
two future uses for the site-multi-family or mixed business/commercial
development. In 2002, a friendship signature quilt created
by the ladies who lived in the Cotton Mill town was
discovered. The quilt was completed during the 1920's
or 1930's. It was a gift given to Mable Walter Curry,
owner of the Mill Company Store and grandmother of Annette
Cooper. This remarkable discovery is a "sign"
from the citizens of Waxahachie's past "speaking"
to us to save their (and our) history!
2003- The
Downtown Merchants Association proposed hosting a Cotton
Festival in September of 2003.
