Nicholas P. Sims donated his estate to build a public library for Waxahachie, and Ellis County. After his death, the library was built during 1903-1904 on land donated by Waxahachie's first Mayor, Capt. W.H. Getzendaner. The building opened to the public April 26, 1905, and was one of the first public libraries built in Texas as well as one of the first privately endowed libraries in Texas. The Nicholas P. Sims Library is a private non-profit that continues to operate as a public library. The vision of the Nicholas P. Sims Library is a community resource that helps build healthy families, vibrant neighborhoods, and thriving businesses -- the foundation of a strong Waxahachie. The Nicholas P. Sims Library's mission is to provide the best library services to the residents of Waxahachie in the most efficient and cost effective manner possible by: * Promoting reading, reading readiness programs and cooperative literacy programs. * Offering the opportunity for self-development to people of all ages and all stages of education. * Recognizing that knowledge, information, and entertainment are presented in many formats such as printed word, audio, video recordings, and computerized databases. * Providing reference and genealogical specialized resources to sustain, and to preserve the heritage of Waxahachie and Ellis County. * Supporting the educational, civic, and cultural activities of individuals, organizations, and groups in the community. * Maintaining collections of resources which reflect the present, past, and a vision for the future. * Promoting and preserving those materials which chronicle the life and culture of the citizens of Waxahachie. * Making library materials available to all library card holders.