Mercedes was one of the first Rio Grande Valley cities established between Brownsville and the Starr County communities of Roma and Rio Grande City.

There was the American Rio Grande Land & Irrigation Company setting up operations in what would become Mercedes in 1909. The land company and its investors brought one of the first east-west railroad extensions from Brownsville to Mercedes and into the heart of what would become the RGV. Some of the first canals that would define RGV agriculture were dug south of Mercedes in bringing Rio Grande water to promising farm fields.

For all of its history, Mercedes has no museum to honor and commemorate its beginning and early years. There is a rich farming and ranching history, but Mercedes has no official institution to mark it. This fact dawned on Victoria Eschete and other participants during the inaugural class of Leadership Mercedes. Mercedes has a 100-plus year existence and still lacks a historical museum to tell its story.

“We’ve talked about the importance of history, wanting a museum but not having one in Mercedes,” Eschete said. “Having that conversation did it for me. We need a celebration of our people and how we got started.”

Those were discussions that led to the organizing efforts to establish the South Texas Farm Fest. It will be an all-day Saturday event on Nov. 5 at the Mercedes Dome Safe Center. There will be a $5 admission with all proceeds going toward establishing a historical museum.

“For me, it’s the start of a museum,” Eschete said. “A museum is not going to happen next year. It’s going to take some time, but now there’s a seed to get some momentum going.”

Right Time

The history of Mercedes – past and present – leans heavily toward agriculture.

The Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show is an obvious indication of that fact as the largest production of its kind south of San Antonio. The show grounds have been part of Mercedes since the 1930s. The Farm Fest will feature those aspects along with other historical elements in the city’s history. For example, some of the first banks in the Valley’s history began in Mercedes. The First National Bank of Mercedes was one of those banks. Its financial descendant – Texas National Bank – celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2020 as FNB was chartered in 1920.

Eschete said there needs to be a telling of those elements and others during a time when Mercedes is beginning to experience an economic resurgence. New retail and housing construction are going up in the city.

“Right now is the right time because we have the right people,” said Eschete, who is part of a family-owned livestock business on Mile 2 West Road in Mercedes. “We’re passionate about our history. We’re good enough. We matter.”

Spreading The Word

It was at the Eschete Livestock Company where Victoria and her daughter, Hailey, along with two other local youths, Xanderia Rodriguez and Kaitlyn Hendricks, gathered to talk about their city’s agricultural history and the upcoming Farm Fest.

The three students are active in Future Farmers of America and 4-H. They are classmates at Mercedes High School and are getting the word out among their peers about the Farm Fest. 

“I’m telling everyone that it’s important we all get together and work together to do something nice for our city,” Hailey said. 

Xanderia concurred in enthusiastically highlighting the history of farming and ranching in her hometown while insisting Mercedes’ story is not one dimensional.

“We’re known for having the livestock show, which is great, but we’re more than just one thing,” she said. “We have lots of great history here in Mercedes.”

The Farm Fest will run from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Nov. 5 on the grounds of the Mercedes Dome at 1202 North Vermont. In the Dome, there will be historical displays and speakers discussing the city’s history. On the park grounds there will be food trucks, kiddie rides, an outdoor market, live music, local vendors and a super farmer contest.