Waxahachie, Texas

Everything Waxahachie is known for

12 songs mention this city 4 artists from here

Music in Waxahachie

Songs About Waxahachie

The Waxahachie Waltz
Ohio Civil Power
83%
"The Waxahachie Waltz"
Waxahachie
Miranda Lambert
81%
"Waxahachie Are you still on 35?"
Waxahachie
Jack Ingram
80%
"Waxahachie, are you still on 35?"
Waxahachie
Pug Johnson
78%
"Why she had to get back to Waxahachie"
Northeast Texas Women
Willis Alan Ramsey
52%
"North of Waxahachie"
The End of the Innocence
Don Henley
40%
The Last of a Dying Breed
Neal McCoy
40%
Thank You
Bart Crow
24%
"North side of Waxahatchee"
Corsicana Lemonade
White Denim
20%
"Waxahatcha, they could catch you"
the interstate 35 waltz
garret t. capps & justin boyd
10%
American Saint
Bleu Edmondson
4%
"Now Im north of Waxahachie"
Red Dirt Girl
Bo Phillips Band
2%
"And she'll drive a hundred miles for a chance to see LaRue"

Artists From Waxahachie

T
Tevin Campbell
soul
C
Canaan Bryce
country
C
Calamity Janes
americana
B
Bailey And The Bad Habits
country

Rivers & Roads in Song near Waxahachie

Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Waxahachie.

Interstate 45 8 songs Interstate 20 13 songs Trinity River 11 songs Interstate 35 43 songs Chisholm Trail 8 songs Brazos River 42 songs

Musical Heritage

Kicked Out for Boogie-Woogie RoadyGoat

In nineteen fifty, a fifteen-year-old Pentecostal kid from Ferriday, Louisiana, enrolled at the Southwestern Bible Institute here in Waxahachie. The Assemblies of God school had moved onto the old Trinity University campus on the north side of town in nineteen forty three, and the idea was that this boy would become a preacher. His name was Jerry Lee Lewis. It lasted about three months. The story, told in one biography after another, is that he sat down at the piano in front of the school and played the hymn My God Is Real as a boogie-woogie. The books argue about whether it was a chapel service, an assembly or a talent show, but they agree on the ending. He was expelled. He went home to Louisiana, and a few years later he was at Sun Records in Memphis, pounding a piano the way that Bible school had tried to stop him from doing. The school is still here, on the same campus. In twenty twenty four it renamed itself Nelson University.

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Backyard Neighbors RoadyGoat

Two boys whose backyards met here in Waxahachie both ended up in the music business. Bill Ham was born in nineteen thirty seven, went to school here, and went on to North Texas. In nineteen sixty eight he saw a Houston band called the Moving Sidewalks open a concert for the Doors, and he formed a management company around their guitarist, Billy Gibbons. When that band broke up, Gibbons started ZZ Top, and Bill Ham managed and produced them for decades. He also discovered Clint Black, back when Black was singing in Houston pizza parlors. The boy over the back fence was Ronnie Dawson, who later told a music writer that Bill kind of took him under his wing. Dawson became a rockabilly singer and guitarist, and he played on Bruce Channel's hit Hey! Baby. Before any of that, he went to the Bible school here in town, the one that expelled Jerry Lee Lewis, and got himself thrown out too. His offense was smoking cigarettes.

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From a Waxahachie Choir to Quincy Jones RoadyGoat

Tevin Campbell started singing gospel in a Baptist church here in Waxahachie when he was about four years old. A friend of his mother's got him an audition with the jazz flutist Bobbi Humphrey, and he sang for her over the phone to New York. That led to Warner Brothers and to Quincy Jones, and on Jones's album Back on the Block, the kid from Waxahachie sang lead on Tomorrow, Better You, Better Me. It went to number one on the rhythm and blues chart. Then Prince brought him to Paisley Park in Minneapolis to record Round and Round for the movie Graffiti Bridge. His mother, Rhonda Byrd, was a postal worker, and she was probably his biggest early influence.

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History of Waxahachie

A Native-Derived Name With Uncertain Language RoadyGoat

You're in Waxahachie, Texas, so here's the Indigenous place-name tangent behind the name: Waxahachie shares its name with the local creek and is traditionally said to come from an Indigenous word connected with cow or buffalo. The exact source language and translation are not securely established, so the name should not be confidently assigned to one nation from resemblance alone. Native place names often passed through several speakers, spellings, maps, and local explanations before becoming official. The responsible lesson is both presence and uncertainty: the word preserves Indigenous geography, while the missing naming record limits what anyone can honestly claim.

North Texas Before Modern Towns RoadyGoat

You're in Waxahachie, Texas, so here's the Indigenous place-name tangent behind the name: North Texas was homeland, hunting country, travel corridor, and contested territory for multiple Indigenous peoples across different periods, including Wichita- and Caddo-speaking communities and later Comanche power extending through the region. These were not one generic tribe. Nations maintained distinct languages, governments, kinship, trade, and diplomacy. Creeks and rivers supplied water, fish, fertile soils, crossings, and routes through prairie and timber. Later roads often followed older Indigenous paths because both travelers sought workable grades, reliable water, and efficient passages across the same terrain.

Disease, Removal, and Living Nations RoadyGoat

You're in Waxahachie, Texas, so here's the Indigenous place-name tangent behind the name: European-introduced epidemics caused catastrophic population loss before many detailed written records were made. Warfare, settler expansion, reservations, and forced removal then pushed numerous Texas peoples from their homelands during the nineteenth century. That history must not end with disappearance language. Wichita and Affiliated Tribes, Caddo Nation, Comanche Nation, and other sovereign nations continue through governments, citizens, families, languages, ceremonies, art, and community events. A Native-derived Texas town name should direct attention toward those living nations while keeping local legends separate from documented tribal history.

Bessie Coleman - Aviator

1892

Born in Atlanta, Texas in 1892 and raised in Waxahachie, Bessie Coleman became the first Black woman and first Native American to hold a pilot's license, earned in France in 1921.

Bessie Coleman

1892

(1892-1926) Born in Atlanta, Texas, pioneer aviatrix Bessie Coleman grew up and went to school in a Waxahachie neighborhood a few blocks north of this site. At age 23 she moved to Chicago and first expressed her desire to fly. Since there were no flight schools in this country that would teach African American women, Coleman learned to fly in France and obtained her international pilot's license in 1921. Upon her return to the United States, she was hailed as the first black woman pilot. Extremely popular, "Queen Bess", as she was known, performed as a barnstormer for integrated audiences at air shows and exhibitions around the country before her death in an air accident in Jacksonville, Florida. (2001)

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Nelson, John Byron, Jr.

1945

John Byron Nelson, Jr., professional golfer, was born on his parents' cotton farm in Long Branch, Texas, near Waxahachie, on February 4, 1912. He was the son of John Byron Nelson, Sr., and Madge (Allen) Nelson. Nelson is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest American golfers of all time. He grew up in Fort Worth since he was the age of eleven and, at the age of twelve, became a caddy at Glen Garden Country Club. He dropped out of school when he was in the tenth grade in 1928, briefly worked with the Fort Worth and Denver City Railway , and took up golfing full time in 1929. As a teenage caddy, Nelson worked alongside Ben Hogan , who also became a legendary golfer, lifelong friend, and professional rival. In 1927 Nelson beat Hogan by one shot after a nine-hole playoff in an annual caddy tournament. While he transitioned to a full-time tournament fixture, Nelson worked as a golf professional between 1932 and 1940 at courses in Arkansas, New Jersey, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. He joined the Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) in 1932. In 1934, while working as a golf pro in Texarkana, Arkansas, Nelson met Louise Shofner, who would be his wife for fifty years. The two were married on June 24, 1934, in Louise's parents' living room. Called "Lord Byron" for his gentlemanly qualities, Nelson won the Vardon Trophy in 1939. He played on two Ryder Cup teams, in 1937 and 1947, and was non-playing captain in 1965. Nelson was a two-time winner of the Professional Golfing Association championship in 1940 and 1945, the U.S. Open in 1939, and the Masters Golf Tournament in 1937 and 1942. Nelson was exempted from military service during World War II due to a blood clotting disorder. He spent much of the war giving exhibitions to raise funds for charities. During his professional career, golf clubs evolved from wooden to steel shafts, and Nelson was the first golfer to adjust his swing accordingly, modifying his stance and incorporating the use of his legs to add distance. This fortuitous timing helped Nelson become known as the father of the modern golf swing. In 1945 Byron Nelson accomplished an eleven-tournament winning streak that had not been broken as of 2021. That year, playing in thirty-five tournaments, Nelson finished with eighteen victories, including eleven straight; finished second another seven times; and established a record for the lowest scoring average (68.33 for eighteen holes), which remained untouched for fifty-five years until broken by Tiger Woods in 2000. His 1945 season is widely considered the greatest single year by a player on the PGA Tour and, as such, one of the greatest in the history of the sport. He was twice named the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year, in 1944 and 1945. With his win at the 1946 Columbus Invitational, Nelson became the first player to reach fifty career PGA Tour wins. This feat has since been matched by Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Billy Casper, and Tiger Woods. His fifty-two career wins ranked sixth overall as of 2021. After 1946 he reduced his schedule but continued to make appearances at the Masters Tournament as a competitor, played occasional PGA events, and played several overseas tournaments. Nelson retired officially at the age of thirty-four-much earlier than his peers Hogan and Sneed, both of whom were born in the same year as Nelson-to become a rancher, buying a ranch at Roanoke, Texas. He also gave paid golf exhibitions, later became a television golf commentator during the 1960s and 1970s, and regularly made appearances at PGA events. Nelson appeared as himself in the 1953 Jerry Lewis-Dean Martin movie, The Caddy , along with fellow players Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, and Julius Boros. Nelson was a coach and mentor to Ken Venturi, Tom Watson, and Marty Fleckman. He was influential in the careers of such golfers as Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus. In Jack Nicklaus's 1978 book On and Off the Fairway , Nicklaus wrote that Nelson was the "straightest" golfer h

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Waxahachie - Gingerbread City

1850

Waxahachie is famous for its Victorian gingerbread architecture and as the site of the cancelled Superconducting Super Collider, which would have been the world's largest particle accelerator.

Dawson, Ronald Monroe [Ronnie]

1956

Ronald Monroe "Ronnie" Dawson, rockabilly singer, songwriter, and guitarist, was born in Waxahachie, Texas, on August 11, 1939, the son of bandleader and bass player Pinky Dawson (of the Manhattan Merrymakers) and Gladys Dawson. Ronnie Dawson's musical career, based almost entirely in Texas, spanned from his early teenage years at the Waxahachie Southwestern Bible Institute to the months before his death from throat cancer in 2003. At the time of his death, he was considered an elder statesman, if not a legend, in the blues , rockabilly, and country roots rock-and-roll genres. Although Dawson was raised in a family with a primarily fundamentalist Pentecostal faith, musical talent ran a close parallel. Dawson stated that although he did not see a movie until he was seventeen, he found himself with a guitar in hand at around age fourteen. In addition to guitar, Dawson's (now musically retired) father Pinky showed him how to play the mandolin, drums, and bass guitar. Dawson attended Southwestern Bible Institute in Waxahachie but was expelled for smoking cigarettes. Ronnie Dawson's freshman act was called Ronnie Dee and the D Men and featured his soaring tenor vocals combined with a stand-out guitar sound based in rhythmic rock-and-roll with a hint of R&B, which was all the teenage rage in 1956. Within two months of its inception, the band Ronnie Dee and the D Men hesitantly entered a talent contest for a spot on the popular and long-standing Dallas live radio show, Big D Jamboree . Their ten wins in a row earned the young band multiple appearances on the variety show, which aired from Dallas's Sportatorium , a legendary wrestling arena and music venue. Ronnie Dee and the D Men were soon signed by Sportatorium owner and Jamboree promoter Ed McLemore , manager for Gene Vincent, who was an occasional performer on the Big D Jamboree . With his assistance, the band soon recorded their first single on the Back Beat label, a subsidiary of Duke Records -"Action Packed" b/w "I Make the Love." Radio play for "Action Packed" and their next single ("Rockin' Bones" on the McLemore label) gained steady ground, along with Dawson's reputation for giving an electric, acrobatic live performance that could challenge even the fiery young Elvis Presley. Incidentally, Dawson has claimed that his style of performance was taken not from Presley but directly from the dynamic Pentecostal revivals that he still attended. In addition to his musical performance skills, Ronnie Dawson cut a compelling figure onstage; also nicknamed "The Blonde Bomber," he was tall and lanky with a trademark blond flat-top haircut and a wide, mischievous grin. More recording and television appearance offers arrived in swift succession. Before long, star-maker Dick Clark signed the burgeoning young group to his Swan Records label and confirmed them for an appearance on American Bandstand . Unfortunately, they had arrived on the scene at the cusp of the "Payola" scandal. The surrounding hullabaloo cut short all their musical plans and what would have been perceived as their shot at "the big time." Clark closed the Swan Records label. Undaunted, Ronnie Dawson continued his musical career with the help of some of his new connections. After the inevitable breakup of the D Men, Dawson toured as a featured guitarist with legendary Texas western-swing act the Light Crust Doughboys . He also employed his drumming skills for studio sessions for some of Major Bill Smith 's recording artists at the time, such as Paul and Paula on their hit "Hey Paula" and Bruce Channel on "Hey! Baby" (also featuring Delbert McClinton on harmonica). From 1959 to 1961 Ronnie Dawson recorded on several other labels, and, in the tradition of many artists of the era, reinvented himself under new musical personae with several recording pseudonyms. He briefly signed with Columbia Records in 1961 and released the single "Do Do Do" under the name Commonwealth Jones. Dawson also used the name Snake Munroe. He commen

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Rogers, Emory W.

1849

Emory W. Rogers, pioneer, settler, philanthropist, Confederate officer, and businessman, was born in Alabama in 1813, to James and Mary (Speaks) Rogers. On September 16, 1833, Rogers married Nancy Clinton of South Carolina in Limestone, Alabama. The couple had four sons and two daughters. No later than 1847, Rogers moved with his family to Texas and built a log cabin near present-day Waxahachie. On October 4, 1849, he received a grant of 640 acres along the north fork of the Waxahachie Creek to establish the seat of the newly-created Ellis County. This seat was designated as the town of Waxahachie. Considered by many to be the founder of the town, Rogers played a leading role in its planning, improvement, and culture. Prior to the construction of a courthouse, his home served as the town's administrative hub. After supervising the construction of various roads, streets, and a post office, Rogers built a hotel bearing his name in 1856. With the coming of the Civil War , Rogers joined many other leading citizens of Waxahachie and Ellis County in service of the Confederacy. In 1861 he was elected as major in the Twelfth Texas Cavalry Regiment and served with this unit throughout the war. In May 1862 Rogers led elements of the Twelfth Cavalry in an attack on a numerically-superior Union force at the battle of Whitney's Lane in Arkansas. Though ultimately forced to retreat, Rogers and the Twelfth Cavalry helped forestall a Union attack on Little Rock and ensured Arkansas's continued participation in the Confederacy. At the conclusion of the war in 1865, Rogers returned to Waxahachie and resumed his role of leadership within the community. He deeded forty acres of land in August 1870 to the trustees of Marvin College, which had opened its doors in Waxahachie the previous year. Rogers passed away in 1874. Both Rogers and his wife were buried in the Waxahachie City Cemetery. In 2011 the land he donated to the college was located at the north end of College Street. The Rogers Hotel burned to the ground in 1881, but a new Rogers Hotel was constructed in 1912 and still stood in the early twenty-first century.

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Things to Do in Waxahachie

day trip
Day Trip to Waxahachie 🥩⛪️ (FULL EPISODE) S11 E9

Featured on The Daytripper — a full-episode local travel guide.

Sports in Waxahachie

⭐ HOMETOWN LEGENDS Class 6A · Football

Waxahachie Indians — Waxahachie — a college & pro athletic pipeline

9 alumni who reached major-college or pro sports

Waxahachie High School has a proud tradition of developing athletes who have gone on to compete at the highest levels of college and professional sports. The school's alumni include several notable figures who have made their mark in football and basketball. Among them are former NFL players Montae Reagor, Aldrick Robinson, Broderick Sargent, and Brian Waters. These individuals represent the dedication and talent fostered within the Waxahachie athletic programs.

The list of accomplished alumni also features Desmond Mason, a former NBA player. In college football, Waxahachie is represented by Keith Abney II, a cornerback for the Arizona State Sun Devils, and Preston Hodge, a cornerback for the Colorado Buffaloes. LaDarius Henderson, an offensive guard for the Indianapolis Colts, also hails from Waxahachie High School, continuing the strong presence of former Indians in professional sports.

Pro/D1 alumni
9
Class
6A
Founded
1864
Key Players
  • Keith Abney II — , college football cornerback for the Arizona State Sun Devils
  • LaDarius Henderson — , NFL offensive guard for the Indianapolis Colts
  • Preston Hodge — , college football cornerback for the Colorado Buffaloes
  • Desmond Mason — , former NBA player (2001 Slam Dunk Contest Champion)
  • Montae Reagor — , former NFL player
  • Aldrick Robinson — , NFL player
The moment

Desmond Mason was a former NBA player.

Sources: Wikipedia

Everything Near Waxahachie

515 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the nearest 200 are listed here — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.

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