Waxahachie, Texas

Waxahachie /ˌwɒksəˈhætʃi/ is the county seat of Ellis County, Texas, United States, and lies just beyond the southern suburbs of Dallas. The population was 29,621 at the 2010 census.

Etymology

The first syllable of the name Waxahachie is pronounced "wahks" or "woks," not "waks" as is the case with the similarly named Waxahatchee Creek in Alabama and the music group Waxahatchee. It is not the name of an "Indian tribe" as is sometimes assumed. 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 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).

Waxahachie (YTB-814)

Waxahachie (YTB-814), sometimes misspelled Waxahatchie, was a United States Navy Natick-class large harbor tug named for Waxahachie, Texas.

Construction

The contract for Waxahachie was awarded 22 June 1970. She was laid down on 1 April 1971 at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, by Peterson Builders and launched 9 September 1971.

Operational history

Delivered to the Navy on 4 January 1972 at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Waxahachie was assigned to the 14th Naval District. She continued to serve the fleet actively, providing tug and tow services, as well as pilot assistance, at the busy Pacific Fleet base at Pearl Harbor into 1980.

On 3 August 2007, was reclassified as an Unclassified miscellaneous vessel, stripped of her name and given the hull number IX-545. For the remainder of her career, IX-545 served as a reusable target vehicle.

Stricken from the Navy List 27 September 2011, ex-Waxahachie awaits disposal.

References