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65-418: Waxahachie ( / ˌ w ɒ k s ə ˈ h æ tʃ i / WOK -sə- HATCH -ee ) is the county seat of Ellis County, Texas , United States. Its population was 41,140 in 2020. The city was founded in 1850, and incorporated in 1871. Much of the employment is provided by a number of industries and by educational institutions, including primary and secondary schools, a community college and a private university. In

130-526: A Superior Court and Sheriff (as an officer of the court ), both located in a designated "shire town". Bennington County, Vermont has two shire towns; the court for "North Shire" is in the shire town Manchester , and the Sheriff for the county and court for "South Shire" are in the shire town Bennington. In 2024, Connecticut , which had not defined their counties for anything but statistical, historical and weather warning purposes since 1960, along with ending

195-630: A community college based in Corsicana, Texas , and Nelson University , a private, four-year university affiliated with the Assemblies of God , which offers accredited undergraduate and graduate degrees. The first newspaper in Waxahachie, the now-defunct Waxahachie Argus , was established in 1870. The Waxahachie Daily Light has served the town since 1891. Additionally, 47 radio stations are within close listening range of Waxahachie. KBEC radio has served

260-557: A 60% shareholding in Hardie-Ferodo. It purchased the remaining 40% in August 1980. By the mid 1980s, James Hardie invented the modern day asbestos-free fibre cement material and had transitioned production entirely to fibre cement, a product consisting largely of Portland cement , sand, and wood fibres. In December 2001, the company relocated its headquarters to the Netherlands . While

325-437: A 7–12 grade campus. On April 15, 2014, Life School broke ground on a new high school in Waxahachie, planned to accommodate about 1,000 9th–12th graders. The several private schools include Waxahachie Preparatory Academy (K-12), First Christian Day School (through 8th grade), and St. Joseph Catholic School (through 8th grade). Two postsecondary educational institutions have campuses in the city of Waxahachie: Navarro College ,

390-570: A business importing oils and animal hides. Andrew Reid, also from Linlithgow, came to join Hardie in Melbourne , and became a full partner in 1895. When Hardie retired in 1911, he sold his half of the business to Reid. The company was listed on the Sydney Stock Exchange in 1951. At the time, the company manufactured products out of asbestos cement sheet and other related building material. By

455-572: A corporate office in Chicago, Illinois, United States and operates more than a dozen manufacturing plants around the world. James Hardie was the naming rights sponsor of the Bathurst 500/1000 from 1968 until 1987 . It was shirt sponsor for the Parramatta Eels from 1981 until 1995. In 1988 James Hardie Industries made the largest donation ever made to an Australian public library when it gifted to

520-410: A county seat may be an independent city surrounded by, but not part of, the county of which it is the administrative center; for example, Fairfax City is both the county seat of Fairfax County, Virginia and completely surrounded by Fairfax County, but the city is politically independent of the county. When the county seat is in the independent city, government offices such as the courthouse may be in

585-539: A few miles of each other. Nonindustrial employers include Baylor Scott & White Health, Waxahachie Independent School District, Walgreen Distribution Center, Walmart, HEB Grocery, Navarro College, and Southwestern Assemblies of God University. The Scarborough Renaissance Festival (also called Scarborough Faire), a Renaissance fair theme park , is located southwest of the town. It opens annually during April and May, and has been in operation since 1981. The city's annual Gingerbread Trail Festival features tours of many of

650-441: A parent company operating through subsidiaries since the 1930s. All asbestos operations, including the provision of compensation, were undertaken by James Hardie's subsidiaries, principally James Hardie and Coy and Hardie-Ferodo (later known as Jsekarb). Between 1995 and 2000, James Hardie (the parent company) began to remove the assets of these subsidiaries (since renamed Amaca and Amaba respectively), while leaving them with most of

715-687: A range of breaches of the Corporations Act 2001 including breach of director's duties by failing to act with care and diligence. ASIC also undertook investigations into possible criminal charges against the company's executives but in September 2008 the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions decided there was insufficient evidence and charges were not pursued. In 2009, the Supreme Court of New South Wales found that directors had misled

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780-617: Is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification , Waxahachie has a humid subtropical climate , Cfa on climate maps. As of the 2020 United States census , 41,140 people, 12,522 households, and 9,073 families resided in the city. Employment opportunities in the city are highly oriented toward industry. Owens Corning , Georgia-Pacific , International Paper , James Hardie Industries , Berry Global , Americase, Cardinal Glass, Magnablend, and Dart Container are located within

845-409: Is known as the seat of its county. Generally, the county legislature, county courthouse, sheriff's department headquarters, hall of records, jail and correctional facility are located in the county seat, though some functions (such as highway maintenance, which usually requires a large garage for vehicles, along with asphalt and salt storage facilities) may also be located or conducted in other parts of

910-798: The Gingerbread homes . Bethlehem Revisited, a re-enactment of the birth of Jesus , occurs behind Central Presbyterian Church in early December. The Texas Country Reporter Festival (hosted by Bob Phillips) features artists, craftsmen, music, and food from all over the Lone Star State – much of it featured on the TV show over the years. Waxahachie is locally known for its elaborate Richardsonian Romanesque courthouse . The town also features many examples of Victorian architecture and Gingerbread-style homes, several of which have been converted into bed and breakfast inns. The Ellis County Art Association hosts ART on

975-517: The Government of New South Wales . The findings were very critical of James Hardie and its management. Amongst other findings, it found that the actuarial reports commissioned by James Hardie which estimated liabilities at $ 286 million were inadequate because they used a financial model which made unfounded predictions on the value of investments held by Amaca and Amaba, the figures were subject to numerous unspecified conditions and they did not account for

1040-655: The North Central Texas Council of Governments association, the purpose of which is to coordinate individual and collective local governments and facilitate regional solutions, eliminate unnecessary duplication, and enable joint decisions. Waxahachie is represented in the Texas Senate by Republican Brian Birdwell , District 22, and in the Texas House of Representatives by Republican Brian Harrison, District 10. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates

1105-647: The State Library of Queensland the meticulously developed and hugely significant Australian Library of Fine Art which was given as a bicentennial gift to the nation. This collection became the James Hardie Library of Australian Fine Arts, and was part of the Arts and Rare Books Unit at the State Library. In 1978 the effects of pleural abnormalities and other asbestos -related diseases were beginning to show up in

1170-678: The Waxahachie Independent School District (WISD), which currently has eight elementary campuses, three middle-school campuses, and two high schools. WISD offers advanced-placement and dual-credit courses, and varied career and technology courses. Waxahachie High School , classified as 6A, offers a range of extracurricular activities to its students, including football, volleyball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's soccer, baseball, softball, golf, tennis, concert and marching band, drama, choir, drill team, and dozens of academic teams and clubs. The football program made

1235-653: The 1850s to eastern Texas. In the Alabama language, waakasi hachi means "calf's tail" (the Alabama word waaka being a loan from Spanish vaca ). A Waxahatchee Creek near present-day Shelby, Alabama , suggests that Waxahachie shares the same name etymology. Many place names in Texas and Oklahoma have their origins in the Southeastern United States, largely due to forced removal of various southeastern Indian tribes. The area in central Alabama that includes Waxahatchee Creek

1300-547: The NSW Aboriginal Legal Service taking an active part in actions against the company. James Hardie and its subsidiaries had been providing compensation for victims of its operations since the 1980s. Though some earlier claims had arisen, the proliferation of cases from the 1980s onwards forced James Hardie to acknowledge that it had known asbestos to be dangerous. James Hardie nonetheless maintained that it had done everything possible to protect workers. In 1978

1365-575: The Netherlands for what it claimed were significant tax advantages for the company and its shareholders. To make this move, the company had to assure Australian courts (as it was listed on the Australian Securities Exchange ) that the MRCF would be able to meet future liabilities. The courts were assured of this and that more money would be made available to its Australian asbestos victims through

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1430-500: The Square (Cultural Attractions- Events and Facilities; 113 West Franklin Street). Parks in Waxahachie include Spring Park, Getzendaner Memorial Park, Richards Park, Chapman Park, and Brown-Singleton Park. Getzendaner Park features the historic Chautauqua Auditorium , built in 1902. Lake Waxahachie features a range of camping and fishing areas. The city of Waxahachie is a voluntary member of

1495-641: The United States signing a new trade agreement with the Netherlands in 2006. Shortly after the move, an actuarial report found that James Hardie asbestos liabilities were likely to reach $ 574 million. The MRCF sought extra funding from James Hardie and was offered $ 18 million in assets, an offer the MRCF rejected. The estimate of asbestos liabilities was promptly revised to $ 752 million in 2002 and then $ 1.58 billion in 2003. The funding shortfall became of increasing concern in 2004 as it became clear that eligible victims would miss out on receiving compensation after it

1560-879: The United States, followed by Towson , the county seat of Baltimore County, Maryland . Likewise, some county seats may not be incorporated in their own right, but are located within incorporated municipalities. For example, Cape May Court House, New Jersey , though unincorporated, is a section of Middle Township , an incorporated municipality. In some states, often those that were among the original Thirteen Colonies , county seats include or formerly included "Court House" as part of their name, such as Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia . Most counties have only one county seat. However, some counties in Alabama , Arkansas , Georgia , Iowa , Kentucky , Massachusetts , Mississippi , Missouri , New Hampshire , New York , and Vermont have two or more county seats, usually located on opposite sides of

1625-595: The Waxahachie District Parole Office in Sherman. At the federal level, the two U.S. senators from Texas are Republicans John Cornyn and Ted Cruz ; since 2003, Waxahachie has been part of Texas's 6th congressional district , which is currently represented by Republican Jake Ellzey . The United States Postal Service operates the Waxahachie Post Office. Almost all of Waxahachie is served by

1690-623: The asbestos liabilities of the James Hardie group. In 2001 these two companies were separated from James Hardie and acquired by the Medical Research and Compensation Foundation (MRCF) which was essentially created in order to act as an administrator for Hardie's asbestos liabilities. Then CEO of James Hardie, Peter McDonald, made public announcements emphasising that the MRCF had sufficient funds to meet all future claims and that James Hardie would not give it any further substantial funds. Indeed,

1755-508: The community and surrounding area since 1955. Both Altus Emergency Center and Baylor Scott & White Health at Waxahachie provide emergency services locally, as does Ennis Regional Medical Center, about 14 miles away in Ennis. Between 2003 and 2010, Waxahachie's healthcare industry added 555 jobs, making it the city's fourth-largest employment sector. Additionally, the long-running television series Walker, Texas Ranger , starring Chuck Norris ,

1820-427: The company based on refusing to handle James Hardie products. Following the results of the inquiry, James Hardie entered into negotiations with governments and trade unions in an effort to establish some sort of compensation system for eligible victims of James Hardie's products. In December 2004, James Hardie agreed to pay compensation to the victims of its products through a voluntary compensation fund. The details of

1885-433: The company began putting warning labels on its products explaining that inhalation of the dust could result in cancer. In March 1987 James Hardie ceased all asbestos manufacturing activities. As concern grew about the serious adverse health effects of asbestos, in the mid-1980s James Hardie developed an asbestos-free fibre cement technology, without the dangers associated with asbestos. James Hardie had been structured as

1950-548: The contributions of James Hardie into the voluntary fund tax deductible, and had granted the voluntary fund tax-exempt status, that James Hardie finalised the compensation deal. There was immense pressure on the Federal Government from state governments, union leaders and victims to remove the tax problem. The final step in giving the voluntary fund a legal structure was approval of the scheme by James Hardie shareholders. In February 2007, 99.6% of shareholders voted in favour of

2015-517: The counties after his unification, there were about 1,000. Under the Eastern Han dynasty , the number of counties increased to above 1,000. About 1400 existed when the Sui dynasty abolished the commandery level (郡 jùn), which was the level just above counties, and demoted some commanderies to counties. In Imperial China, the county was a significant administrative unit because it marked the lowest level of

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2080-418: The county, especially if it is geographically large. A county seat is usually an incorporated municipality . The exceptions include the county seats of counties that have no incorporated municipalities within their borders, such as Arlington County, Virginia , where the county seat is the entire county. Ellicott City , the county seat of Howard County, Maryland , is the largest unincorporated county seat in

2145-420: The county. Examples include Harrison County, Mississippi , which has both Biloxi and Gulfport as county seats, and Hinds County, Mississippi , which has both Raymond and the state capital of Jackson . The practice of multiple county seat towns dates from the days when travel was difficult. There have been few efforts to eliminate the two-seat arrangement, since a county seat is a source of civic pride for

2210-406: The effect of separating Amaca and Amaba from James Hardie. However, the inquiry found that James Hardie was under no legal obligation to provide compensation. Despite this finding, there was immense political and social pressure on James Hardie to negotiate a compensation deal; governments were boycotting James Hardie products and unions were threatening to instigate a global union movement against

2275-478: The former United States Naval Ship Waxahachie (YTB-814) . In 1988, the area around Waxahachie was chosen as the site for the Superconducting Super Collider , which was to be the world's largest and most energetic particle accelerator , with a planned ring circumference of 54.1 miles (87.1 km). Seventeen shafts were sunk and 14.6 miles (23.5 km) of tunnel were bored before the project

2340-562: The former mine workers. While other companies were involved in similar asbestos-related activities, most notably CSR , more than 50% of claims made to the Dust Diseases Tribunal of New South Wales in 2002 were brought against companies in the James Hardie group. There were protests against the companies' operations near the small Aboriginal Australian community of Baryulgil on the NSW North Coast , with Lyall Munro Snr and

2405-497: The fund were to be legally determined by June 2005 but progress was stalled and the company refused to disclose the date the deal would be finalised. Further conflicts between the company and the Federal Government over tax deductibility of donations to the voluntary fund saw finalisation of the deal further delayed. It was not until November 2006, after the federal government had created 'black hole' tax legislation, which made

2470-424: The imperial bureaucratic structure; in other words, it was the lowest level that the government reached. Government below the county level was often undertaken through informal non-bureaucratic means, varying between dynasties. The head of a county was the magistrate , who oversaw both the day-to-day operations of the county as well as civil and criminal cases. The current number of counties mostly resembled that of

2535-572: The increase of Han Chinese population in Taiwan, the number of counties also grew by time. By the end of Qing era, there were 11 counties in Taiwan. Protestant missionaries in China first romanized the term as hien . When Taiwan became a Japanese colony in 1895, the hierarchy of divisions also incorporated into the Japanese system in the period when Taiwan was under Japanese rule. By September 1945, Taiwan

2600-611: The independent city under an agreement, such as in Albemarle , or may in be enclaves of the county surrounded by the independent city, such as in Fairfax . Others, such as Prince William , have the courthouse in an enclave surrounded by the independent city and have the county government, the Board of Supervisors, in a different part of the county, far from the county seat. The following counties have their county seat in an independent city: Bedford

2665-413: The issue of partly paid shares to MRCF obliging the new Dutch parent company to meet a call for funds if it were needed. The value of the call at the time was $ 1.9 billion. The move to the Netherlands therefore proceeded. However, the tax benefits which James Hardie expected to receive as a result from its move did not eventuate following the revision of tax laws in the United States in 2001 and later with

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2730-569: The largest global manufacturer of fibre cement products. Headquartered in Ireland, it is a dual-listed company , being listed on the Australian and New York Stock Exchanges . Its management team currently sits in Chicago, Illinois, United States. James Hardie was plagued by several asbestos -related scandals in the 20th century. James Hardie (27 July 1851 – 20 November 1920) emigrated to Australia in 1888 from Linlithgow , Scotland , and established

2795-732: The later years of the Qing dynasty . Changes of location and names of counties in Chinese history have been a major field of research in Chinese historical geography, especially from the 1960s to the 1980s. There are 1,355 counties in Mainland China out of a total of 2,851 county-level divisions. In Taiwan , the first counties were first established in 1661 by the Kingdom of Tungning . The later ruler Qing empire inherited this type of administrative divisions. With

2860-468: The mid-1980s, the city became a filming location for a number of movies and occasional episodes of television series. Some sources state that the name means "cow" or "buffalo" in an unspecified Native American language. One possible Native American origin is the Alabama language , originally spoken in the area of Alabama around Waxahatchee Creek by the Alabama-Coushatta people, who had migrated by

2925-652: The middle of the twentieth century, James Hardie had become the largest manufacturer and distributor of building products , insulation , pipes and brake linings containing asbestos. In Australia, it operated asbestos plants in New South Wales , Queensland , South Australia , Victoria and Western Australia . Working with the products containing asbestos – including asbestos cement – caused people to develop various pleural abnormalities such as asbestosis and malignant mesothelioma . In 1961, it merged its brake lining division with Turner & Newall 's Ferodo, taking

2990-796: The move to the Netherlands resulted in tax savings of $ 86 million over seven years, in 2009 the Australian Taxation Office issued an amended assessment for $ 172 million plus interest and penalties. James Hardie successfully appealed the assessment. Also in 2009, the US Internal Revenue Service alleged that James Hardie had not been in compliance with the US-Dutch treaty since it had been implemented in 2006 and claimed $ US37 million in unpaid taxes plus $ US10 million in interest and penalties. In 2010 James Hardie moved its corporate domicile to Ireland. James Hardie currently operates

3055-412: The net assets of the MRCF were $ 293 million, mostly in real estate and loans, and exceeded the 'best estimate' of $ 286 million in liabilities which had been estimated in an actuarial report commissioned by James Hardie. The Jackson Report found that this 'best estimate' was 'wildly optimistic' and the estimates of future liabilities was 'far too low'. After this separation, James Hardie moved offshore to

3120-478: The playoffs every year from 1989 to 2010. Waxahachie Global High School , an ECHS T-STEM school emphasizing instruction in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in a small-learning-community environment, opened on August 27, 2007. The city limits of Waxahachie extend into the Ferris , Midlothian , and Red Oak ISDs. In addition to the district schools, Life School , a public charter-school system, operates

3185-474: The population of Waxahachie. From 1902 to 1942, Waxahachie was the second home of Trinity University , which was a Presbyterian-affiliated institution founded in 1869. Then-Trinity's main administration and classroom building is today the Farmer Administration Building of Southwestern Assemblies of God University . Trinity's present-day location is San Antonio . The town is the namesake of

3250-752: The provincial level, and thus county seats. In the provinces of Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia the term "shire town" is used in place of county seat. County seats in China are the administrative centers of the counties in the People's Republic of China . Xian have existed since the Warring States period and were set up nationwide by the Qin dynasty . The number of counties in China proper gradually increased from dynasty to dynasty. As Qin Shi Huang reorganized

3315-565: The ruling in the High Court of Australia in October 2011. In May 2012 the High Court upheld the 2009 New South Wales court decision and found that seven former James Hardie non-executive directors did mislead the stock exchange over the asbestos victims compensation fund. In August 2019, Mathew Werfel, a DIY handyman from Adelaide , won $ 3 million in a compensation case against James Hardie. Werfel

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3380-532: The scheme and it began operating days later. After the inquiry in 2004, prosecutors were considering bringing civil and criminal charges against the CEO and other senior executives for making fraudulent statements as to the liquidity of the MRCF. In February 2007 every member of the 2001 board and some members of senior management were charged by the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) with

3445-764: The state's area, has no borough government or borough seat. One borough, the Lake and Peninsula Borough , has its borough seat located in another borough, namely King Salmon in Bristol Bay Borough . In Louisiana , which is divided into parishes rather than counties, county seats are referred to as "parish seats". In New England , counties have served mainly as dividing lines for the states' judicial systems. Rhode Island has no county level of government and thus no county seats, and Massachusetts has dissolved many but not all of its county governments. In Vermont , Massachusetts , and Maine county government consists only of

3510-525: The stock exchange in relation to James Hardie's ability to fund claims. They were also banned from serving as board members for five years. Former chief executive Peter Macdonald was banned for 15 years and fined $ 350,000 for his role in forming the MRCF and publicising it. The former directors, excepting Macdonald, appealed and the New South Wales Court of Appeal subsequently overturned the ruling against these directors in 2010. ASIC appealed against

3575-416: The towns involved, along with providing employment opportunities. There are 33 counties with multiple county seats in 11 states: Alaska is divided into boroughs rather than counties; the county seat in these case is referred to as the "borough seat"; this includes six consolidated city-borough governments (one of which is styled as a "municipality"). The Unorganized Borough, Alaska , which covers 49% of

3640-607: The use of county seats in particular, will fully transition with the permission of the United States Census Bureau to a system of councils of government for the purposes of boundary definition and as county equivalents. Two counties in South Dakota , Oglala Lakota and Todd , have their county seat and government services centered in a neighboring county. Their county-level services are provided by Fall River County and Tripp County , respectively. In Virginia ,

3705-427: Was an independent city from 1968 to 2013, while also being the county seat of Bedford County . Bedford reverted to an incorporated town, and remains the county seat, though is now part of the county. The state with the most counties is Texas, with 254, and the state with the fewest counties is Delaware, with 3. James Hardie Industries James Hardie Industries plc is a global building materials company and

3770-431: Was cancelled by Congress in 1993. In 2020, County Judge Todd Little came into the national spotlight when the county's only elected African American, Constable Curtis Polk, Jr., protested having his office located in the basement of the courthouse next to a segregation-era sign that read "Negroes". The controversy was resolved amicably when Little worked with Polk to relocate him to another office. The climate in this area

3835-623: Was divided into 8 prefectures ( 州 and 廳 ), which remained after the Republic of China took over. There are 13 county seats in Taiwan, which function as county-administered cities , urban townships , or rural townships . In most of the United States , a county is an administrative or political subdivision of a state that consists of a geographic area with specific boundaries and usually some level of governmental authority. The city, town, or populated place that houses county government

3900-420: Was exposed to asbestos while pulling down fences and renovating two homes between 1990 and 2000, and was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2017. James Hardie's products no longer contain asbestos, but Werfel's lawyer claimed the company should have done more to alert the public to the existence of asbestos in its old products, which were used in older homes. In 2021, James Hardie a New Zealand court dismissed

3965-471: Was filmed in Waxahachie on occasion. Some scenes in Prison Break were filmed in Waxahachie. Scenes from Bonnie and Clyde (1967) were also shot here. In 2018, an animated short film from Crypt TV titled Dark Vessel featured the town as its 1977-based setting. In 2021, Miranda Lambert , Jon Randall and Jack Ingram released a song named for the city on their acoustic album The Marfa Tapes . It

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4030-637: Was for hundreds of years the home of the Upper Creek moiety of the Muscogee Creek Nation. Again, this would suggest a Muscogee Creek-language origin of Waxahachie. "Waxahachie", therefore, may be an anglicized pronunciation of the Muscogee compound word wakvhvce from the Muscogee words wakv (meaning "cow" derived from the Spanish vaca ) and the Muscogee word hvcce (meaning "river" or "creek"). Waxahachie

4095-410: Was founded in August 1850 as the seat of the newly established Ellis County on a tract of land donated by early settler Emory W. Rogers, a native of Lawrence County, Alabama , who migrated to Texas in 1839. It was incorporated on April 28, 1871, and in 1875, the state legislature granted investors the right to operate a rail line from Waxahachie Tap Railroad to Garrett, Texas , which greatly increased

4160-517: Was later recorded again with full production for inclusion on Lambert's solo album Palomino in 2022. Sabinas in Coahuila, Mexico , has been proposed as Waxahachie's sister city . Sabinas is located about 70 miles (110 km) south of Eagle Pass, Texas . County seat In Canada , the provinces of Ontario , Quebec , New Brunswick , Prince Edward Island , and Nova Scotia have counties as an administrative division of government below

4225-455: Was revealed that in March 2003 James Hardie had cancelled the partly paid shares that were intended to be a safety net for the fund. In discussing the shortfall with the MRCF, James Hardie refused to accept further responsibility for the liabilities on the basis that the MRCF and James Hardie were separate legal entities. On 12 February 2004, a judicial inquiry into the matter was commissioned by

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