COTTON GINNING CHAMPION

By the second decade of the 20th century, the community of Ennis had been serving as northern division headquarters for the Houston and Texas Central Railway for over forty years. Ennis and surrounding Ellis County had developed over the years as both agricultural and commercial centers for the region, ginning over 150,000 bales of cotton for regional cotton growers in 1920, topping all other cotton ginning counties in the country. Fifty years later Ennis continued to serve the region, this time as its predominant industrial center, manufacturing an assortment of goods from furniture to concrete. The community’s long and productive history is best told by the Ennis Railroad and Cultural Heritage Museum where displays of early Ennis include models, dioramas, railroad memorabilia, and exhibits on the local heritage.

Ennis’ heritage includes the cultural influences of its large Czech population, particularly evident in the annual National Polka Festival. Czech music, cuisine, and crafts converge each Memorial Day weekend in Ennis. The community is also home to the Ennis Bluebonnet Trails, a series of over forty miles of routes through bluebonnet country. April bluebonnets typically cover the Ellis County region and Ennis pays tribute to the official Texas State Wildflower with month-long Bluebonnet Trails events, culminating in the Annual Ennis Bluebonnet Trails Festival.