A Tennessee native and former Arkansas legislator, William Jernigin (1819-80) came to Hunt County in 1856. A pioneer merchant in the nearby village of Cow Hill, he moved to this vicinity in 1872 and opened a mercantile store (1 blk. W). Two years earlier, completion of a bridge over the South Sulphur River had created a new trade route through the area. Since the community that grew up around his store was unnamed, Jernigin asked that goods be shipped to "Commerce." The later development of Commerce as a center of trade reflected his pioneer contributions. (1982)