Ferris

Ferris is on Interstate Highway 45, U.S. Highway 75, and Farm roads 660, 664, and 983 fifteen miles northeast of Waxahachie in northeastern Ellis County. It was named for Judge Justus W. Ferris of Waxahachie, a county business and civic leader. The community's establishment was associated with the construction of the Houston and Texas Central Railway in 1874. Railroad employees surveyed and laid out the settlement on land donated by the McKnight family, pioneers who had arrived in the early 1850s. Attracted by the region's fertile soil and the commercial possibilities offered by the railroad, settlers began moving into Ferris at once. A general store and a post office began operation in 1874. Within ten years the town had a population of 300, gristmills, cotton gins, four churches, and schools. In 1892 Ferris was incorporated, and its 350 residents supported some twenty businesses in addition to a number of cotton gins and hotels.

Ferris grew until the 1920s. In 1904 it had a population of 901 and in 1910, 1,233. Before World War I the Ferris Brick Company and various other brick-manufacturing firms took advantage of the mineral clays found in the soils of the area and provided Ferris with a lasting industry. By 1914 some fifty business establishments, including six brick plants, a broom factory, and a weekly newspaper operated in Ferris. The town's population stood at 1,586 in 1925.

Continue Reading

Brian Hart | © TSHA

Handbook of Texas Logo

Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.

Belongs to

Ferris is part of or belongs to the following places:

Currently Exists

Yes

Place type

Ferris is classified as a Town

Location

Latitude: 32.53845490
Longitude: -96.66918800

Has Post Office

Yes

Is Incorporated

Yes

Population Count, 2021 View more »

2,857