One of the most notable features of the Ellis County Historic Courthouse is the exposed foundation in the basement. At the bottom of the foundation, you’ll see that it is inscribed, “A.D. 1870,” showing that the exposed rock surrounding the courthouse’s central column is about 25 years older than the rest of the courthouse. This part of the courthouse foundation was actually reused from the 1873 courthouse as another cost-cutting measure because digging a foundation was one of the most expensive aspects of construction (remember that in the 19th century, construction companies did not have the same kind of Earth-movers that they have today). Some of the oldest photographs of Waxahachie show a pile of stone on the downtown square being used to construct the 1873 courthouse, and being able to see and touch that same stone in person today introduces a gratifying continuity to local history.
On the wall, you will see a well-preserved example of an original courthouse office sign. Before the elevator or ramp entrance room existed, these doorways housed county departments – one of them being for the County Engineer, whose responsibility was, and still today remains, to assist the Road & Bridge precincts with bridge, culvert, drainage, and other engineering projects prioritized by the elected commissioners. Note that historically, these department signs were painted directly on the wall, rather than physically mounted. Small patches of original paint show through the teal Engineering sign, demonstrating that those who restored the courthouse remained true to its original interior color scheme.