Prophets of Place: Centering Waco in the Shiplap Frontier of Fixer Upper

Abstract

EAD CENTER BETWEEN AUSTIN AND DALLAS, AT THE POINT where the Brazos and Bosque Rivers intersect, lies Waco. Waco is a destination and transit point, a "Texas crossroads" and "the heart of Texas" (Wallace). 1 Like so many US cities, Waco became a place to stop because it was a point of movement and passage. Buffalo migration patterns, cattle trails, and the Brazos River allowed for the circulation of goods and the preservation of human life. But until six years ago, modern Waco functioned largely as a blip on the road between point A and point B: a pitstop on the I-35 drive between Austin and Dallas; a good place to use the restroom, get gas, and grab a bite to eat; host to a good college (Baylor University) in which to spend four years on the journey from adolescence to adulthood; a good place to transition, but not a place to stay.Although there are many stories of the change that has transpired in Waco, Chip and Joanna Gaines, the husband and wife duo starring in HGTV's extraordinarily popular home renovation show Fixer Upper are the current center of the center. 2 The Gaines attended Baylor University-the largest Baptist University in the country, which attracts a generally affluent, religiously conservative student body. Unlike the majority of their classmates, they chose to stay in Waco. Joanna and Chip narrate the importance of Waco and faith in their first encounter. She recounts how impressed she was during their first conversation at her father's tire store: "'I love this town,' he said. 'I'm planning to stay in Waco until God makes it clear I'm supposed to move on.' That surprised me too. I loved the way he mentioned God in a way that was so unguarded, and I liked that he