Texas Porch
Higher Education Stories & local character

A campus fire moved a college to Commerce

Hunt County History & Culture

William Leonidas Mayo opened a one-building school in Cooper in 1889. When fire destroyed that campus in 1894, he moved the college 16 miles to Commerce, where westbound railroad lines offered a better connection to Dallas and the rest of Texas.

The state took over the school in 1917. It joined the Texas A&M University System in 1996. The name changed again in 2024 to East Texas A&M University. The campus may look settled now, but its Commerce story began with a fire, a railroad, and a founder willing to move the whole school.

Content last revised 2026-07-11

Keep reading

More stories and useful context near Hunt County

A balanced next shelf: local character first, with practical context close by.

Stories & local character

The first train turned Greenville cotton into world trade

Greenville's first train arrived in 1880, and its cotton compress later set world records for rail shipments.

Read note →

Stories & local character

Greenville kept its electric utility in local hands

Greenville bought its own electric system in the late 1800s, and GEUS remains a community-owned utility.

Read note →

Practical

Lake Tawakoni is open-water country for striped bass

The 37,879-acre reservoir spans Hunt, Rains, and Van Zandt counties and carries special catfish limits.

Read note →

Stories & local character

Old cotton ground now carries a broader farm mix

Beef cattle and hay now share Hunt County's farm story with horticulture, cotton, wheat, and grain sorghum.

Read note →

Place pages in Hunt County

Caddo MillsCampbellCelesteCommerceGreenvilleHawk Cove

Nearby county shelves

Rains (10) Rockwall (30) Collin (57) Delta (5) Hopkins (11) Fannin (12)