Jernigin's Store
Commerce, Hunt County, Texas
Marker Inscription
A Tennessee native and former Arkansas legislator, William Jernigin (1819-80) came to Hunt County in 1856. A pioneer merchant in the nearby village of Cow Hill, he moved to this vicinity in 1872 and opened a mercantile store (1 blk. W). Two years earlier, completion of a bridge over the South Sulphur River had created a new trade route through the area. Since the community that grew up around his store was unnamed, Jernigin asked that goods be shipped to "Commerce." The later development of Commerce as a center of trade reflected his pioneer contributions. (1982)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
A Tennessee native and former Arkansas legislator, William Jernigin came to Hunt County in 1856 and, in 1872, opened a mercantile store beside a newly bridged trade route over the South Sulphur River. Because the settlement around his store had no name, he simply asked that goods be shipped to "Commerce" — and the name stuck. The town's later rise as a trading center grew directly from his pioneer venture.
Why it matters
Jernigin's shipping instruction literally named the city of Commerce, showing how a merchant and a river bridge could conjure a Texas town.
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Related people
- · William Jernigin
Themes & tags
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