Ike   Ike, named for Ike Henley , is located about three miles northeast of Waxahachie on FM Road 878.  There is still a marker bearing the name on the road, although there are no remnants of Ike except for a few dwellings.  Many once believed that Ike was the place where bank robbers buried their treasure and for many yars a search was carried on up and down Grove Creek. Capt. Cade came to Ellis County from Georgia soon after the Civil War.  He was one of the many Southern planters who had been ruined by the War.  He bought a two hundred acre tract on the north side of Grove Creek east of the village of Waxahachie. and built his home in a grove of trees on a little hill near a spring of cold, clear water.  There were four rooms in front, a porch and an ell which contained the dining room and kitchen - it was the first frame house built in the settlement.  Mrs. Cade, or "Miss Lura" as the Blacks called her, did not like Texas and could not take pioneer life.  She was so dissatisfied that the Captain put the place up for sale.  George N. Aldredge (later a judge in Dallas) had come to Waxahachie as a young man to practice law, and wrote to his father, Dr. J. F. Aldredge, in Pittsburg, Texas, describing the place, wich the doctor  later purchased.  Dr. Henley had land on both sides of the creek to the east of the Aldredge farm.  Mrs. Henley died during this time.  The Henleys had four children: Sally, Oke, Charlie and Ben (who died in childhood).  In 1872,  Mr. and Mrs. William A. Boyce moved to this farm when their daughter, Maude Boyce (Farrar) was only a year old.   A road had been opened on the east side of the Henley property that crossed Grove Creek on to the road leading to Waxahachie. Rev. Power, a Baptist minister, had land which lay at the east facing the road.  He died soon after his home was built, leaving a wife and four children, Roger, Ben, Howard and Virgie.  To the east of the Power property was the Peters' farm, and adjoining it was land belonging to C. C. Wilson.  Crossing the creek on the road to Waxahachie on the south side of the creek lived the Massies, Basses and McMinns.  Mr. Frank Wilson bought land facing the Henley road, close to the Power family and the King place was just across the creek on the south side.  There were four King daughters and a son, Ben, who became a Baptist minister.  Thus we have a bird's eye view of the community as described by Mrs. Maude Bouce Farrar. Up until that time no attempt had been made to build churches and schools.  Mr. Olin A. Finley and his wife moved into the settlement.  Mrs. Finley was friendly, charming and well-educated, so when the people realized they might have a teacher among them, they called a meeting and decided to build a schoolhouse.  It was called "Bluff Grove" because it was located on a high bluff on the bank of Grove Creek.  This was a typical country house - about forty feet long and thirty feet wide with three windows on each side and a door in one end.  In the winter it was heated by a wood stove and lighted by tallow candles.  Mrs. Finley organized the school and it was quite a success.  Pupils came from miles around.  The building was not only for school but also a place of worship.  Every denomination was welcomed to hold services - all came.  There were singing schools, writing school sand best of all "Spelling Bees."  These were held on Saturdays and people of all ages came from all around.  The Blue Back speller was always used.  Ike school became a two teacher school, but was incorporated with Waxahachie in 1944. Archibald J. Rice, whom everyone called "Baldy Rice," moved  to Ike about 1890.    He bought a plot of land from Ike Henley in the corner of the Henley land, facing the road and  bordering on the north side of Grove Creek. and built a store and residence for his family.  A post office was granted in 1898 and that's when the name of Ike replaced "Bluff Springs."  A. J. Rice was appointed postmaster March 30, 1898, but the office was discontinued June 30, 1903.  After that the mail went to Waxahachie and was delivered by rural carriers.  According to the Cam Perrys,  in early days rural stores were served by a peddler's wagon, operated by a man named Garrison.  The Perrys had the history of Ike sealed in the chimney of their home, but they recalled the store keepers since 1899.  At that time , the Orr brothers operated the store; then came T. W. Teague who bought the Rice Store  and operated it over fifty years.  He married Miss Mary Wilson, daughter of Frank Wilson.  The Ike grocery company, composed of Bill Eskridge, Clyde Witherspoon and C. W. Davis, was operated by Eskridge.  Other store keepers were Wayne Thompson, Cam Perry, Cap Pryor, Blon Stoffregen, J. B. Almond and Bill Gumm in 1959.  By 1971 there were no stores. Among the prominent church women of Ike have been Mrs. Roy Borders, who in 1959 attended church in Waxahachie and the late Mrs. Joe Jenkins.  The churches were moved to Waxahachie in 1956.  Among the citizens left in 1959 were Clyde Witherspoon and R. N. Aday. From the mid 1920s to the 1960s, the population was reported as twenty-five and by 1990 had decreased to ten. References: Hawkins et al, Ellis County History Workshop, History of Ellis County, 1972. Personal interviews Newspaper articles by Elizabeth Parsons The Settlement of Ike by Maude Boyce Farrar (submitted by Ida M. Brookshire) "IKE, TX." The Handbook of Texas Online   Copyright © 2002-2016, Ellis County TXGenWeb. All Rights Reserved. This page was last modified: Monday, 10-Sep-2018 10:23:32 MDT