Texas Mercantile

12/30/2025

On December 29, 1845, Texas joined the Union, fulfilling Sam Houston's ten-year dream. Here is how it happened:

On February 28, 1845 the U.S. Congress passed a joint resolution to annex Texas into the Union. (Contrary to popular belief Texas was not annexed by a treaty. A treaty would have required a two-thirds vote to pass and the votes simply were not there. A joint resolution only required a simple majority.)

On June 16, 1845 the President of Texas, Anson Jones, called on the Texas Congress to meet to consider the matter and the delegates gathered on July 4th. Both houses voted for annexation.

In order to join the Union a state constitution had to be drawn up and ratified. The new Texas Constitution was approved by a popular vote of the people in Texas on October 13, 1845, and it was accepted by the U.S. Congress on December 29, 1845.
Thus, Dec. 29th was recorded as the date of Texas' LEGAL entry to the Union.

However, the formal transfer of authority from the Republic of Texas to the State of Texas was not made until a ceremony was held on February 19, 1846. That is when Anson Jones famously lowered the flag and declared, "The final act in this great drama is now performed; the Republic of Texas is no more."

09/04/2025

On this day in 1945, Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz signed the instrument of surrender with Japan that ended World War II. Nimitz, born in 1885, was the descendant of German pioneer settlers of Fredericksburg. He was named commander in chief of the Pacific Fleet shortly after Japan's 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, and later commander in chief of Pacific Ocean Areas as well. With authority over the entire Pacific theater except for Gen. Douglas MacArthur's Southwest Pacific sector and the inactive southeast, Nimitz coordinated the offensive that brought the Japanese to unconditional surrender. He signed the peace treaty aboard the battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay. Nimitz later spent two years as commander in chief of the United States Fleet, and also served as a roving ambassador for the United Nations and chairman of the Presidential Commission on Internal Security and Individual Rights. He died in 1966. In 1964 a local citizens' group established the Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz Memorial Naval Museum in the old Nimitz Hotel in Fredericksburg. The project evolved into the National Museum of the Pacific War.

09/04/2025

Selena’s music still plays like the heartbeat of Texas. The Queen of Tejano gave us joy, sparkle, and the eternal reminder that “the washing machine” dance move will never go out of style.

Selena Quintanilla • Tejano music • Texas

09/04/2025

Home to the Alamo, Fiesta, and the River Walk — San Antonio is part history lesson, part block party, part margarita bar. And yes, you’ll probably leave with confetti in your hair.

San Antonio Texas • River Walk history travel

09/03/2025

Authentic Texas chili has no beans. None. If you add beans, it’s just spicy soup. End of story.

Texas chili recipe authentic no beans

09/03/2025

LBJ: the Texan who signed the Civil Rights Act, launched the Great Society, and reportedly held staff meetings while on the toilet. That’s commitment to efficiency (and possibly an OSHA violation).

Lyndon B. Johnson• Texas president history

09/03/2025

Houston: where the humidity hugs you tighter than your grandma and the food scene could feed a small country. NASA gave us “Houston, we have a problem,” but have you ever tried choosing between Viet-Cajun crawfish, Tex-Mex, or barbecue here? That’s the real problem.

Houston Texas food culture • Space City • Bayou City flavors

08/04/2025

Sam Houston poster inspired by Bob Will and his Texas Playboys.

08/01/2025

🎶 Adiós, Flaco — The King of Conjunto 🎶

Flaco Jiménez, the San Antonio-born accordion virtuoso who took the soul of South Texas and played it for the world, has passed on—but his music will never fade.

From the dance halls of the West Side to collaborations with The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, and the Texas Tornados, Flaco bridged cultures and generations with every note.

A five-time Grammy winner and National Medal of Arts recipient, Flaco stayed true to his roots, carrying on his father Santiago’s legacy while creating one all his own. His fingers made that accordion sing like no one else ever could.

Texas Mercantile honors Flaco Jiménez—a true Texas original, forever puro, forever legendary. 🌵🎼🕊️

07/07/2025

On this day in 1923, the Dr Pepper Company was officially incorporated in Dallas—but the story goes back even further.

Back in 1885, at Morrison’s Old Corner Drug Store in Waco, a young pharmacist named Charles Alderton began crafting fizzy, fruit-flavored concoctions between prescriptions.

One special blend became a local hit—and was soon dubbed Dr Pepper, reportedly named after a Virginia physician Morrison once worked for.

Today, Dr Pepper is a Texas icon, headquartered in Plano, with its roots proudly preserved at the Dr Pepper Museum in Waco.

🫧 23 flavors. 1 legendary soda.

🥤

07/04/2025