Commerce

Commerce was formally incorporated on September 25, 1885-which is why the Bois d'Arc Bash occurs on the nearest weekend. Starting with a population of 145, the town has grown to just over 8,000, with Texas A&M University adding another 7,700. In 1873, William Jernigin erected a general merchandise store on his farm near the present downtown--only a mile west of the rival Jackson store, a grist mill that had been around since the early 1850's in the village of Cow Hill. As Commerce continued to flourish, Jackson finally moved his business here. Soon thee was the post office. When Jernigin generously gave a section of land for a town square, business thrived. In 1919, store-front owners on the square wee assessed so much per foot to pay for paving, completing the project within a year. They did a fine job, too, as most of the historic brick was saved during the 1985 downtown refurbishing.