Ellis County Museum renovation continues

The Ellis County Museum, located at 201 S. College St., has been undergoing renovations for the past several years, and executive director Michelle Haye says the end is in sight.

Renovation efforts are about 75-80% complete, and Haye said they will be finished and hold “a big reveal” and grand opening during the 53rd annual Gingerbread Trail Tour of Homes, with the museum being one of the stops, on June 3-4. Along with a tour of the newly renovated second and third floors, attendees will be able to look at an exhibit focused on the history of the Gingerbread Trail Tour of Homes.

Throughout the entire renovation process, the museum has been dedicated to preserving the history of the building by restoring the original floors, windows, trim, doorknobs, door hinges, ceilings, lights and more.

“There’s a lot of people this building holds a lot of personal significance to,” Haye said. “We want everyone to be aware that we’re doing our best to preserve history … and do it right, everything down to paint color matching. We’re taking it with a preservationist view. We’re also making sure it will stand another 100 years.”

Built in 1889 as the Masonic Temple, the ceilings were originally painted different colors. Haye explained how they took chips of the original paint to the store and matched the color exactly before repainting. Extra original floorboards will be sanded, refinished and restored for use as needed. The original windows will be restored, with the UV film scraped off and treating and staining the trim to give it “that beautiful, rich wood color,” Haye said.

Grand staircases lead to each floor, and an elevator is installed and working, allowing everyone access to all three floors of the museum. Various fire suppression methods and additional fire escapes were added throughout the museum.

Since the building was purchased, the second and third floors of the museum were used for storage. With the renovation, these floors are being restored to create additional spaces for the museum, businesses and community events.

“We want to make this a cornerstone of Ellis County and make it a resource of people,” Haye said.

Six of the rooms on the second floor will be for the museum’s use. The other half will be leased as office spaces.

For the museum, there will be a textile room and a research library, with the third room’s use still in discussion. The research library will be available during certain time periods for people to receive help from Haye or another historian in researching their family’s history, their house’s history or Ellis County’s history. Many of their items are now being digitized, but Haye said there’s nothing quite like seeing an original photograph, which people will be able to do in the research library.

The three leased office spaces sit on the front side of the building, giving tenants a view of the historic courthouse. Within two of these rooms, one can find unique historic amenities. One room was originally an artist’s studio, which can be seen by a sink in the corner of the room and the original door which reads “STUDIO.” Another room will include the addition of a historic door that reads “Cotton Buyer.” While the door is not original to the building, Haye said it has significance to the history of Waxahachie.

“Waxahachie was the cotton capital,” she said. “It (cotton) drove the development of this city.”

The door will be framed in place with original pieces of wood salvaged from the building.

The third floor houses a lecture hall and an assembly hall, and both will be available for reservation for businesses and residents.

The lecture hall, located on the front side of the building, will be a space for classes, workshops, special guests, bridal showers and more.

The assembly hall will be a space for larger events like family reunions, banquets, weddings, proms and more. It includes a kitchen area in the back for catered events. The original stage, used by the Masonic Temple, is being restored, and the original lights as well as canned lighting will be placed throughout the room.

These spaces are for reservation only, and Haye says they will make sure the space shows the history of the building and museum by displaying artifacts throughout the floor.

“Whether you’re having a Christmas party or a banquet up there, you’ll still feel like you’re in the history of Ellis County,” she said.

“A lot of what we’re finishing now is what I would call the finish work,” Haye said.

This includes putting the drywall up, painting, deep cleaning and placing everything in its “final position.”

Fundraising efforts are still under way for the museum’s renovation. To donate or to learn more about donating and naming opportunities, visit https://elliscountymuseum.org or email Haye at admin@elliscountymuseum.org.

Originally published December 17, 2023 - https://www.waxahachiesun.com/news/local/ellis-county-museum-renovation-continues/article_9f760b9c-7dd0-11ed-9944-ef45a2fab516.html