The "Fixer Uppers" in Waco, Texas

By Golden Keyes Parsons

With the increased popularity of the hit television show, "Fixer Upper," Waco, 

Waco Trib Staff Photo

Texas, has become the top real estate hot spot in the state, and even a top tourist attraction. People are actually moving to Waco from California and New York, drawn by the show.

One of the latest ventures for Chip and Joanna Gaines was the renovation of a property in downtown Waco for their primary business location which has housed the "Silos." The silos are a defining feature of the property and the entire downtown area. When the Gaines bought the property the city council asked them to paint the structure, but Chip Gaines asked that they be able to retain the original look, which fits in with their "shabby chic" look. The town leaders agreed and the silos remain with their original look.

Much of Waco's early history took place in this very location as the railroad ran

Texas Collection, Baylor University

by the large buildings housing the cotton bales the slaves and land owners brought in for sale.

By the late nineteenth century Waco had established itself as one of the most significant urban centers of the South. The town held the title of being the King of Cotton until the onset of the Great Depression. By 1900, cottonseed was second only to lumber as the most important cash crop in Texas. The state established itself as the leading processor of cottonseed in the nation and one of the largest suppliers of cooking oil, vegetable shortening, margarine and salad oil--by products of cottonseed oil.

Texas Collection, Baylor University

This locale was home to the Brazos Valley Cotton Oil Company beginning in about 1910. The company took truckloads of cottonseed from local gins and extracted the oil for industrial use, then sold the meal for cattle feed. Ask any Baylor student who attended the University until the 1960s, and they can quickly recall distinctive odor of the cottonseed oil being produced. The photo to the left is of the property before the erection of the silos.

Because Waco was recognized as one of the nation's major inland markets of cotton after the Civil War, an exposition and fair was planned to be named the Texas Cotton Palace. A huge building was erected and the event was a success, but in 1895 the building burned. The event was not reactivated until 1910, and with great success. It was known as one of the biggest most elaborate expositions in the nation. Horse racing, concerts, art shows, livestock exhibitions and a variety of activities surrounded the event, crowned by the Queen's Ball, the social event of the year. It became a casualty of the Depression, but the event continues in the form of a pageant-type event every year in the spring on the Baylor University campus. That affair was just held a couple of weeks ago.

Texas Collection, Baylor University

So the next time I decide to go shopping down at Magnolia, or you see Fixer Upper on television, remember the rich history of cotton in our town. We love Waco, and we love Fixer Upper. Come see us in Waco!

AUTHOR BIO

Although a multi-published fiction author, Golden Keyes Parsons’ first published non-fiction work, Spiritual Spring Cleaning, (BoldVision Books) just released last spring. Her series, Darkness to Light, (Thomas Nelson) chronicled the journey of her ancestors in 17^th century France and was a finalist for ACFW’s Debut Author of the Year in 2008. Her fourth novel, His Steadfast Love, a Civil War novel, was a National Readers Choice finalist. Parsons has also written a biblical fiction series entitled Hidden Faces, Portraits of Nameless Women in the Gospels (WhiteFire Publishing). Golden lives in Waco, TX, with her husband, Blaine. www.goldenkeyesparsons.com