St. Paul

The St. Paul Community was located about ten miles west of the Ellis County seat, Waxahachie, on State Highway 287. For years it was a thriving community. WS. Fife donated the land for a church on the condition that it would have a biblical name, hence "St. Paul". This is recorded in the deed records in Waxahachie. William Gardner donated the land for a school and a cemetery, also recorded by deed. The school was named Gardner School, though everyone called it the St. Paul school.

Cemetery

The Cemetery Committee of the new St. Paul Cemetery met on February 21, 1906, to "lay out" the cemetery on the land donated by Mr. Gardner in 1885. Several burials were on the site before Mr. Gardner officially donated the land.

Church

Lumber for the church was hauled from Midlothian by wagon. A carpenter, Mr. McElroy, of Midlothian, was hired to build the church and was assisted by other settlers in the area. It was completed in July 1894.

Cotton Gin

At one time, a cotton gin was located on or near Mountain Creek in the St. Paul community. The gin was built by Tom and Bill Gainer. The gin was moved to Britton in 1895. Sometime in the late 1940s, the school was disbanded and the building was sold and moved to Midlothian where it was converted into apartments. Women in the community organized the St. Paul Home Demonstration Club in 1952.