Ovilla is one of the oldest communities in Ellis County, and Ovilla began as a fortified settlement built in 1844 on upper Red Oak Creek. Shiloh Cumberland Presbyterian Church was founded in 1847 and the town's first schoolhouse was erected in 1849. By the turn of the 20th Century, Ovilla had a post office, banks, several stores, a cotton gin, and a marketing center for area farmers. Ovilla was bypassed by railroads and major highways. The town suffered destructive fires in 1918 and in 1926. Proximity to urban areas has stimulated new growth in recent years. Boxcar Willie was born in the area surrounding Ovilla; the overpass at Interstate 35E and FM 664 in Red Oak is named in his memory. Also, several episodes of "Walker, Texas Ranger" with Chuck Norris were shot in part here. Downtown Ovilla was the set of an old Indian town.
|
