What Makes Us Texan
A Texas Born & Texas Bred Bakery
Any Texan will tell you, there's a sense of pride associated with being from the Lone Star state. But, it isn't just individuals who are proud of their state roots. Found in Texas in 1896, Collin Street Bakery is extremely honored to be a Texas-born and -bred business. Woven through into our Bakery's DNA is a sense of honor and virtue associated with true Texas values. From our fruitcakes, made with locally-shelled pecans, to our Collin Street family, we’re as much a part of Texas as it is a part of us.
Watch our Video to Learn More About the History & Heritage of Collin Street Bakery
A Brief History of Corsicana, Texas
Corsicana was established in 1848 and served as the seat of government for Navarro County. The county was named after Jose Antonio Navarro, a Texas patriot. When asked what the new town should be called, Navarro replied, "Call it Corsicana after the island of Corsica, the birthplace of my father."
Corsicana was a typical post-Civil War cotton town until 1894 when oil was accidentally discovered. Drillers charged with completing an artisan well to expand the city's water supply stuck liquid gold only six blocks from the town's business district. Within a mere six years, more than 500 oils wells were spread across the town's city limits, producing more than 800,000 barrels annually. This rapid influx in oil production made Corsicana the site of the first commercial oil field in Texas.
Texas' first oil field located in Corsicana, Texas, in 1898
In 1898, two oil refineries were built to help process the seemingly never-ending surge of oil. At the time, these two companies were named Magnolia Petroleum Company and The Texas Company—two fairly innocuous-sounding businesses until you learn their current titles. In 1931, Magnolia became an affiliate of Socony-Vacuum Oil Company. The Magnolia Petroleum Company merged with Socony Mobil Oil Company in 1959 whose operations later became part of Mobil Oil Company. Meanwhile, the Texas Company kept its name until 1959 when it adopted the new moniker, Texaco.
Spurred by the boom in oil, Corsicana's population dramatically increased. Railroads zig-zagged across the land, encouraging travelers and workers alike. Trains brought famous faces in and out of town, many of whom rented rooms at the hotel located above Collin Street Bakery's second store location. Among the star-studded guest ledger included names like Will Rogers, Enrico Caruso, “Gentleman” Jim Corbett, and “Terrible Tempered” John McGraw, each of whom shopped at the bakery below before departing. This is how our DeLuxe® Fruitcake began to orbit amongst some of the most influential names of the day.
Over the years, our fruitcake has stayed pretty popular and has even been enjoyed in today's uppermost echelons of society—just check out this list of famous folks who've purchased from us.
Gus Weidman (fourth from the left) & CSB Bakery Staff located in front of our second location
True Texan Values
Texans emphasize the importance of family, friends, and hard work. And here at the Collin Street Bakery, we not only support those Texan values—these values define us. For over 125 years, we've toiled to create only the finest baked goods for our customers and their families. We strive daily to make the world’s best dang fruitcake—the DeLuxe®.
We still call Corsicana our home but we've expanded our reach by shipping our products all over the world. We’ve not only perfected the art of baking quality goods but of ensuring they arrive at your doorstep fresh and ready to eat. We’re practically mail-order dessert experts. So, whether your order is for one cake or 1,000, we make certain your DeLuxe® will arrive in perfect condition anywhere in the world. Sounds too good to be true? It’s not! Our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee means that if you don’t absolutely love what arrives, we’ll make it right.
TRY A TASTE OF TEXAS
Order from Collin Street Bakery today and try for yourself what a true Texas tradition tastes like. We promise you won't be disappointed.
