Wyatt Street Shotgun House Historic District
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Why it's listed
Eight modest frame houses line the east side of the 300 block of Wyatt Street in Waxahachie, forming a district built about 1918. Seven follow the shotgun plan, a narrow house one room wide and two rooms deep, with a low hipped roof and a single-bay inset front porch. The eighth, at 308 Wyatt, is a two-room house with a gable roof that matches its neighbors in scale and materials. Shed additions have been added at the rear of some, but most of the houses have changed little since construction. The street lies in an area that has historically been Waxahachie's Black community, and the houses were built for poor Black laborers. The row is valued as a rare, cohesive reminder of lower-class Black housing in the early twentieth century, when many similar dwellings elsewhere in town were moved, demolished or remodeled beyond recognition. The shotgun form itself has roots traced to Africa and the Caribbean and was common across the South into the 1930s.
Significance in brief: The row is a surviving example of lower-class Black housing from the early twentieth century in an area long served as Waxahachie's Black community. Its houses are nearly identical in plan, form and siting, and most remain largely unaltered. Similar dwellings once common in town have been moved, razed or remodeled, which adds to the group's importance.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 86002463, listed September 24, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | E side 300 blk. of Wyatt St., Waxahachie |
|---|---|
| County | Ellis County |
| Listed | September 24, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86002463 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1900-1935 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Shotgun house (vernacular) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Black, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied private residences in fair condition, with minor alterations such as rear shed additions. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 32.38500, -96.83955 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 86002463.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q109999693
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.