History of the farm and looking forward

The Ellis County Rural Heritage Farm Inc (www.ruralheritagefarm.org) is located in the heart of the Texas Blackland Prairie (named for its rich dark soil) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_blackland_prairies), which is a complex tallgrass prairie ecosystem that runs roughly 300 miles from the Red River in North Texas to San Antonio in the south and was historically characterized by a high degree of plant community diversity dominated by tallgrass prairie on uplands and deciduous woodland and forest along rivers and creeks.

The soil was also ideally suited to crop agriculture that led to the development of small family farms and ranches which provided the foundation for the growth of the cotton industry and ultimately of the Ellis County and Dallas-Fort Worth area economy and communities.

The 145-acre Ellis County Rural Heritage Farm Inc, approximately two miles west of Waxahachie, Texas, is the remnant of the Marvin W. and Mattie F. Aday Family Farm of which ~315 acres was appropriated for the Superconducting Super Collider Project in the early 1990s.

A centerpiece of the farm is the beautifully restored 1913 McKinney-Aday Farm House. The historical and architectural significance of the house was acknowledged by its being awarded a Historic Waxahachie, Inc. marker in 2012 and designated as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark by the Texas State Historical Commission in 2013.

The farm is an excellent representation of an early 20th century family farm in Ellis County, Texas. This land would probably have been native prairie in 1913 when the house was built and the land put into row crop production—most likely cotton. At that time, Ellis County, Texas was a prime producer of cotton and led the state in total bale counts (https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Products/9780738523897).

While much of Texas during the early 1950’s was in a long and epic drought, Ellis County had an abundant cotton crop. This is when this land was likely taken out of row crop production and grass was planted with fences built around much of the property for livestock production, as the underlying limestone foundation of the soil in the core of the property was less suitable for sustained agricultural crop production.

The 145-acre site is comprised of a working farm and native prairie areas: 3.6 acre headquarters, including the farm house, barn, and tool shed; 2.9 acre farm projects field; 62.9 acre prairie grasses pasture; 66.0 acre prairie grasses pasture (with stream); and 8.7 acre Blackland Prairie natural area.

The mission of the Ellis County Rural Heritage Farm Inc is to preserve and to promote public awareness and appreciation of the natural and farming heritage of rural Ellis County, Texas.

In association with the Ellis County Museum, Inc. (http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~txecm/), a Board of Directors will oversee the organization and operation of the Ellis County Rural Heritage Farm Inc.

The Ellis County Rural Heritage Farm Inc is an ongoing project to enhance public appreciation of and provide educational opportunities to students and learners of all ages about rural farm life. The heritage farm will offer organized tours, active learning opportunities, educational and living history programs, and garden or row crop or native prairie demonstration projects to provide opportunities for future generations to gain an understanding and appreciation of rural life in late 19th and early to mid-20th century Ellis County, Texas.

Posted on February 21, 2018 01:44 PM by cgritz