"Where Railroads & Cotton Fields Meet"

In 1871, the Houston and Texas Central Railroad purchased 647 acres of land in Ellis County to establish the line's northern terminus. Shortly thereafter, on May 8, 1872, the City of Ennis was founded, named for Cornelius Ennis, an early official of the Houston and Texas Central Railroad and former mayor of Houston.

The railroad served as an impetus to the development of Ennis as an agricultural, commercial, and industrial center. In 1920, Ellis County ginned more cotton than any other county in America, thus earning recognition as the place "Where Railroads and Cotton Fields Meet."

In the next 125 years, Ennis transformed its focus from railroad and agriculture to modern industry. Ennis embraces and encourages the rapidly changing business environment and enthusiastically looks forward to a prosperous future.