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Historic Mesquite, Inc.

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Mesquite, TX
Historic Mesquite, Inc.

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Historic Mesquite, Inc.
711 E.

Kearney St., Mesquite 75149

Opal Lawrence Historical Park Monday - Saturday 9am - 4pm
Florence Ranch Homestead 3rd Fri 10:30a - 3:30p & 2nd Sat 10a - 2p

10/23/2026

💅 Fun Find Friday: Pretty in Pink!

Before bottled nail polish, there was pink powder!

This beautifully decorated box of Dr. J. Parker Pray’s Diamond Nail Enamel is part of Historic Mesquite’s collection—and there’s still pink powder inside! 🌸

In the early 1900s, nail powders were buffed onto fingernails to create a glossy shine. No waiting for polish to dry!

A 1905 advertisement in The Red Book Magazine offered Diamond Nail Enamel for just 25 cents a box, promoting its lasting shine and fragrance.

But how would a beauty product advertised by a New York company reach small-town Mesquite? Through local retailers or mail order! With rural mail delivery established in Mesquite in 1902, residents could shop for products advertised across the country without ever leaving town.

More than 120 years later, this little box offers a colorful glimpse into everyday life—and a little bit of glamour—in the early 20th century!

📚 Historical sources:

• The Red Book Magazine (September 1905), advertisement for Dr. J. Parker Pray’s Diamond Nail Enamel:https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/The_Red_Book_Magazine_1905-09.pdf

• U.S. Postal Service, Texas Rural Free Delivery Records:https://about.usps.com/who/profile/history/pdf/first-rfd-texas.pdf

10/22/2026

⛽ **BJ's Gas in Mesquite is NOW OPEN—and you could already be saving at the pump!**

Historic Mesquite is pleased to partner with BJ's Wholesale Club as they prepare to open their new Mesquite club on November 6!

Through BJ's *Club for a Cause* program, you can take advantage of special introductory membership offers while BJ's makes a small contribution to Historic Mesquite.

🟢 **BJ's Club — $15/year** (regularly $60)
- Save 10¢ per gallon at BJ's Gas for six months.
- BJ's contributes $5 to Historic Mesquite.

🔴 **BJ's Club+ — $50/year** (regularly $120)
- Save an **extra 20¢ per gallon** at BJ's Gas for six months.
- Enjoy Club+ benefits, including 2% back in rewards on most eligible purchases.
- BJ's contributes $15 to Historic Mesquite.

**The Mesquite gas station is already open, so there's no need to wait for the club's grand opening to start enjoying eligible gas savings!**

🔗 Join through Historic Mesquite: https://www.bjs.com/partner/historicmesquite

☎️ Or call 800-313-8887 and use group code **833010**.

📅 Special membership offers end November 20, 2026.

We're grateful to BJ's Wholesale Club for including Historic Mesquite in this community initiative. Every contribution, large or small, is appreciated as we continue preserving and sharing Mesquite's history.

10/20/2026

🌳 Time Capsule Tuesday: City Lake Park's Surprising Beginnings — October 1947

Did you know that Mesquite's beloved City Lake Park was originally known as Shands Park?

In 1947, Mesquite was a growing town of just 1,600 residents when local bank president N. E. Shands and brothers Anson and Raymond Holley donated 12.5 acres for the city's first public park.

📸 This wonderful photograph, published in The Dallas Morning News on August 24, 1947, shows Mayor Sam Rutherford accepting the deed for the property, with excavation equipment already at work in the background!

In October 1947, Mesquite appointed its very first Park Board to oversee development of the new park. Dallas County supplied equipment and labor to excavate the lake, while local residents and businesses pitched in to help bring the project to life.

🌳 Here's a fun bit of local history: Mesquite still has a Shands Park today! Located on Caribbean Drive, it's a completely different property from the original Shands Park that became City Lake Park.

Nearly 80 years later, City Lake Park continues to be a gathering place for generations of Mesquite families.

💬 Do you have memories of City Lake Park or today's Shands Park? We'd love to hear them!

📖 Sources: The Dallas Morning News, August 24, 1947; Texas Historical Commission, City Lake Park Historical Marker (2018).

10/16/2026

🌙 **Love The Moth Radio Hour? This one's for you.**

Some stories are better told after dark.

Join us for *Stories We Tell in the Dark*, an intimate evening of live storytelling inspired by the spirit of *The Moth Radio Hour*.

Featuring storytellers from across DFW, unexpected moments, and stories shared by lantern light inside the historic Lawrence Barn.

📅 Friday, November 6 | 8 PM
📍 Opal Lawrence Historical Park, Mesquite
🎟️ $20 | Recommended ages 13+

A different kind of Friday night. Come hear a good story.

🎟️ Get your tickets today! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cool-nights-stories-we-tell-in-the-dark-tickets-2002315824532?aff=oddtdtcreator

10/13/2026

🕰️ **Time Capsule Tuesday: Before Mesquite**

Did you know that Indigenous communities lived along the waterways of North Texas centuries before Mesquite was established?

In recognition of yesterday's Indigenous Peoples' Day and October's Texas Archeology Month, we're exploring some of our region's earliest history!

Archaeological research along the East Fork of the Trinity River has identified more than 50 settlement and campsite locations dating from approximately **700 to 1600 CE**.

These communities hunted, gathered wild foods, made pottery and stone tools, and participated in regional trade networks.

Take a look at this map! It shows just how close these archaeological sites are to present-day Mesquite, including locations near Lake Ray Hubbard. There's so much history to discover right in our own backyard!

🏺 **Keep exploring with us!** Join Historic Mesquite on **Saturday, October 24**, as we celebrate Texas Archeology Month. We'd love to see you there!

🎟️ Event details: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1998581601370?aff=oddtdtcreator

📚 **Source:** Crook, W. W. III, and Hughston, M. D. (2016). *The Late Prehistoric of the East Fork of the Trinity River.* CRHR Research Reports, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.44607

10/10/2026

📰 Look who’s in the SPOTLIGHT!

We got a few excited texts today letting us know that Mesquite Meander was featured in The Dallas Morning News! What a fun surprise!

A big thank-you to everyone who shared the article and to The Dallas Morning News for highlighting this longtime Mesquite tradition!

🎭 There’s still time to join us! Saturday is our final day, with tickets available for both our afternoon matinee and evening performances.

🎟️ historicmesquite.org

10/09/2026

99 years ago an infamous crime unfolded in downtown Mesquite. This weekend we’re bringing that chapter of local history back to life at the 16th annual Mesquite Meander.

We still have showtimes remaining!

Grab your tickets for tonight or tomorrow at our website —> historicmesquite.org

Downtown Mesquite, TX

10/07/2026

It’s TIME!!! Mesquite Meander is returning for its 16th year! Come get ready with on of the actors as they prepare for this theatrical living history experience!!!

10/06/2026

🎡 Time Capsule Tuesday: State Fair Season

The weather has finally decided to cool off—just in time for State Fair season! This week, two objects in Historic Mesquite’s collection take us back more than 120 years, to a time when the State Fair itself was changing and growing.

📷 1905: A horse advertises the State Fair
This photograph from the Rhonda Harper Collection shows men gathered with horses and buggies. Look closely at the horse in front: draped across its back is an advertisement for the 1905 State Fair in Dallas.

It was a pivotal time for the Fair. After financial difficulties threatened its future, the City of Dallas purchased the fairgrounds in 1904. The reorganized State Fair returned in 1905 and drew approximately 300,000 visitors, setting new attendance and receipts records.

The blanket preserves another interesting piece of history: it advertises the Fair’s originally scheduled September 30 opening. The Fair was later postponed and ultimately held October 28–November 12. The photo captures that brief moment before the plans changed—and an era when horses were still everyday transportation and, apparently, pretty effective moving billboards!

🎟️ 1908: S. D. Lawrence, State Fair stockholder
Three years later, S. D. Lawrence held this State Fair of Texas Stockholder Ticket, admitting him for the entire Fair, October 17–November 1.

The State Fair began in 1886 as a private corporation supported by local investors. Citizens helped finance an annual exposition showcasing Texas agriculture, livestock, industry and commerce. Even after Dallas purchased the fairgrounds, stockholders remained connected to the organization.

That makes Lawrence’s surviving pass especially interesting: it doesn’t simply tell us that someone from Mesquite attended the Fair—it identifies him as a stockholder in the organization behind it.

Sources: Historic Mesquite, Inc. Collections, Rhonda Harper Collection; Shaw/Fagin Collection; Texas State Historical Association, Handbook of Texas, “State Fair of Texas”; UNT Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, contemporary State Fair materials.

Address

711 E Kearney Street
Mesquite, TX
75149

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 5pm
Tuesday	8am - 5pm
Wednesday	8am - 5pm
Thursday	8am - 5pm
Friday	8am - 5pm

Telephone

+19722166468

Website

http://www.cityofmesquite.com/hmi/

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