Mixing Fruit Cake and Oil in Corsicana, Texas

We went there for the world-famous DeLuxe Fruitcake in Collin Street Bake Shop. Little did we know that we will discover US history as a bonus in Corsicana, Texas.

We first came to know about the Collin Street Fruit Cake (https://www.collinstreetbakeshops.com) when our cousin from the US, Kuya Edgard, and wife, Ate Nancy, (above, L-R) sent us fruitcakes one Christmas. From then on, we have been requesting them and other relatives from the US for fruitcake. In fact, my cousin Lors, sent one to my sister for Christmas, Net, which is an overdue request (fruitcake below).

Located in Corsicana, Texas, USA, the Collin Street Bake Shop (below) is about 124 km from Coppell where we were staying, or about a 1-hour-and-10-minute drive, without traffic. The bakery was founded in 1896 by August Wiederman, an immigrant from Germany (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collin_Street_Bakery).  

Celebrities were spotted in the Corsicana store and some were regular customers.  Monaco's Princess Caroline places an annual order, continuing her mother, Princess Grace's tradition of a Christmas DeLuxe fruitcake for their family and friends.Hilton Hotels are also longtime customers (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collin_Street_Bakery). 

The DeLuxe fruitcakes are still baked faithfully in their original recipe. Their famous keepsake tin is included with each fruitcake. Each fruitcake is the perfect balance of native pecans (27%), shelled in Corsicana, Texas; hand-picked golden sweet pineapple and lush papaya from their own farms in Costa Rica; ripe, red cherries from Oregon and Washington State; pure clover honey; and plump golden raisins. Refrigerated, the DeLuxe® stays moist and delicious for months. Each regular fruit cake costs (1 7/8 lbs) $29.95 (https://www.collinstreet.com/online_bakery_gift/deluxe_fruitcake). Trina (above with Tierra) made sure to buy a few fruitcakes as ‘pasalubong’ for the Philippines, which, I stuffed in my luggage when I went home.  

Photo of cookies courtesy of https://www.collinstreet.com/

Their cookies come in various ‘mouthwatering’ flavors baked from the finest farm-fresh ingredients. Trina was not able to resist buying some, and these I took with me as my snack in the airport and the plane. 

It was late when we arrived in Corsicana and we had not had lunch. So, we ordered from their Bakeshop Café. Tyler, Trina, and I shared our sandwiches to decide the best tasting among our choices of Tuna Salad, Ham, and Roast Beef (above). They all tasted good, not because we were starving. Tierra entertained herself by tasting the plastic cup.

The Corsicana oil field is significant because it was the first Texas field to produce oil and gas in important quantities. American Well and Prospecting Company, discovered it accidentally on June 9, 1894, while seeking a new water source for the city of Corsicana (https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/doc03).

We had the chance to go around the nearby old places in Corsicana and we came across this bronze statue of an oil field worker on the corner of Sixth Avenue and Beaton Street in downtown Corsicana (above). Ultimately, the city would like to add statues of a baker, to honor the Collin Street Bakery, and another to honor the maker of Wolf Brand Chili, said Stephen Dieterichs, Main Street director  (http://www.corsicanadailysun.com/news/local_news/quittin-time/article_6ec3f145-dfb5-5d0c-b9ec-137dbb24e86a.html).

A visit to Corsicana is like witnessing the accidental birthplace of the oil industry in the USA. It was a period of dramatic change and economic growth in the state of Texas during the early 20th century (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_oil_boom). From fruitcake to oil, this visit was not bad at all.

Remembering a President’s Last Parade

November 22, 1963, Dallas, Texas, USA. "This was the last parade of John F. Kennedy, the 35^th president of the United States, who was fatally shot on a Dallas street." This might have been the headline on the day that JFK was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald. Having this deep affinity with US history, I always make it a point to watch any documentary on TV about the Dallas shooting that happened more than 50 years ago. 

So, when I visited Trina and her family in Dallas, Texas, the first outing that we undertook was to the 6th Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza on what was once the Texas Bookstore Depository, now the Dallas County Administration Building.  At the lobby, this famous picture of a seemingly happy first couple was enlarged for those who wanted a souvenir shot of the historic event in Dallas. Of course, I had my picture taken with the famous couple (above).

“The 6^th Floor Museum examines the life, times, death, and legacy of President John F. Kennedy, and is located at the very spot from which Lee Harvey Oswald, according to four government investigations, shot and killed the President on November 22, 1963 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sixth_Floor_Museum_at_Dealey_Plaza.”  Taking pictures was not allowed inside the 6^th floor museum, so we were contented to have some pictures taken on the 7^th floor. Photo above shows how beautiful Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy was and how JFK was a handsome match to her beauty. 

We went on  the 7^th floor, one floor above where Oswald killed JFK. Photo above shows me with this view (background).

The street on the left, above, is Houston Street where JFK and his motorcade came from,  then turned left to Elm St. going to the Fort Worth Turnpike exit. 

The big X on Elm St. (above) is the exact spot where JFK was shot by Oswald.

Trina (L), Tyler (R) and Tierra on the stroller are in the grassy knoll, where witnesses believed that the deadly shots came from because smoke, allegedly, was seen in the area after the shots were heard.

A view from the ground (above) shows Dealey Plaza (L) and the 6^th Floor Museum (background).

When we arrived in the museum, we were excited to witness an unforgettable part of history. When we left we felt depressed, sad, and devastated. It was difficult for us to get over the grief of losing the last Camelot  in the White House.