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Welcome to Stop 9 of the Rales, Bales and Bluebonnet Trails historic downtown Ennis walking tour. You’re standing at the center of the town where Ennis Avenue crosses the railroad tracks. Across the street is the Moore Building which was the business center of town by 1880. Hardin T. Moore, one of the leading cotton growers in Ellis County, built it to house the offices of the Ennis Cotton Exchange, a key part of the industry. Cotton was America’s major export crop by the 1860s and by the 1880s Ennis had several cotton gins and cotton-related industries. Imagine standing here on “trade day” and having historic downtown Ennis filled with farmers ready to sell their newly harvested cotton. The streets are crowded with people, wagons and mules. Business was booming.