In March 1917, prior to U.S. entry into World War I, Maj. Gen. John J. Pershing chose Mercedes as the site of a permanent camp for training personnel to serve overseas in France. Construction of Camp Mercedes on the 80-acre Emerson Farm tract . . . — — Map (db m165822) HM
Héctor Pérez García (1914-1996) was a courageous leader in the civil rights movement. He achieved profound change in the treatment of fellow Mexican-Americans through peaceful protest and legal recourse. García was born in Mexico; in 1917, when . . . — — Map (db m165816) HM
This cemetery, named for the land's clusters of ebony trees, began in 1922. The American Rio Grande Land and Irrigation Company developed Mercedes and about 200 square miles of adjacent farmlands, also deeding nearly nine acres to the Mercedes . . . — — Map (db m165823) HM
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo which ended the Mexican War (1846-48) designated the main channel of the Rio Grande as the Mexico-U.S. boundary. Disputes arising from frequent changes in the river's course led to the Treaty of 1884 which . . . — — Map (db m164458) HM
The Rev. E.J. Moebus was sent by officials of the Texas District of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod to establish Lutheran congregations in the Rio Grande Valley. Evangelical Lutheran Emanuel Church organized at Mercedes on October 30, 1910. . . . — — Map (db m165848) HM
This cemetery was established in 1913 on land give by the American Rio Grande Land and Irrigation Company to Immanuel Lutheran Church. The cemetery has served Lutherans throughout the Rio Grande Valley. The oldest grave is that of Wilhelm . . . — — Map (db m165860) HM
Constructed in 1928 to house the town's municipal offices and fire station, this building was designed by architect R. Newell Waters of Weslaco. The two story Gothic style building, constructed of red brick, features a copper cupola designed to . . . — — Map (db m165814) HM
On October 8, 1908, Isadore Moritz published the first issue of the Mercedes Enterprise. He continued the operation until 1914; that same year, Ben E. Brooks and L.T. Hoyt began the Mercedes Tribute. Another paper, the News-Item, started in 1922 . . . — — Map (db m166217) HM
In 1908, the Capisallo Land Company donated land to the Oblate Fathers for construction of a Catholic church. Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church on Hidalgo Street was dedicated in February 1909 and Rev. Enrique Janvier, OMI, became the first pastor . . . — — Map (db m165859) HM
The town of Mercedes was platted by the Capisallo Town and Improvement Company in 1907. The Oblate Provincial Council in Austin requested that the company provide a site for a Catholic church, and Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church was dedicated in . . . — — Map (db m165863) HM
During the 1910s, several Hidalgo and Cameron County families founded a small Jewish congregation. The temple lacked a permanent Rabbi; lay readers led most services, while a student Rabbi was hired to lead High Holy Day Services. The group first . . . — — Map (db m165818) HM
Land developer B.F. Yoakum saw agricultural potential along the Rio Grande and found investors in 1905 for an irrigation project. They purchased 250,000 acres and the townsite of Mercedes for business headquarters. The pump station began operating . . . — — Map (db m165812) HM
The oldest Hidalgo County bank still in operation, this institution opened in 1907 in a frame house on Third Street. Incorporators of the firm were area leaders J.M. Johnson, Sr., who served as the first president, his son J.M. Johnson, Jr., . . . — — Map (db m165825) HM
