A to Z - Eye on Texas: W

 Eye on Texas W visits Waxahachie, the county seat of Ellis County.  My favorite story of this town is when I worked with a fellow who's wife was from the UK. She had a delightful accent. Somewhere in a gathering, someone asked her where she was from. With a total straight face, she said with her clear as a bell proper English accent, "Waxahachie".  Trust me, this was priceless.

 The county courthouse is a wonder to be hold. This is how Texas courthouses should look and they are the center of the town square. Waxahachie is filled with gingerbread gems and was founded in 1850.

 Quaint shops mix with industry. This is a city of twenty thousand plus people.

In the mid-1980s Waxahachie became popular with the movie industry. (all from Wikipedia)
The majority of Tender Mercies, a 1983 film about a country western singer, was filmed in Waxahachie. Director Bruce Beresford deliberately avoided the city's picturesque elements and Victorian architecture, and instead filmed more rural locations that more closely resembled the West Texas area. The Texas town portrayed in Tender Mercies is never specifically identified.^[25] Mercies starred Robert Duvall, who won the 1983 Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the film.
The 1983 film Places in the Heart starring Sally Field was also filmed in Waxahachie. Unlike Mercies, it was filmed deliberately in the town square and utilized the Victorian and plantation homes still intact in the area. Field won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1984 for her role in the film.
The 1985 film The Trip to Bountiful starring Geraldine Page was also filmed in Waxahachie. Page won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1985 for her role in Bountiful.

And every spring, you can step back in time to enjoy the Scarborough Renaissance Fair


And Lady Violet from Downton - "It always happens when you give these little people power, it goes to their head like strong drink".