Montgomery County Clerk

Today in Texas History — July 6, 1923

103 years ago today, one of Texas' most iconic contributions to the world became official — the Dr Pepper Company was incorporated in Dallas.

But the story starts decades earlier, in Waco in 1885. Wade Morrison, owner of Morrison's Old Corner Drug Store, employed a pharmacist named Charles Alderton who liked to experiment behind the soda fountain — mixing different combinations of fruit extracts and sweeteners in his spare time. One particular blend caught on fast with customers, and a Texas legend was born.

Morrison named the new drink after Dr. Charles T. Pepper, a Virginia physician and pharmacist he had worked for earlier in his career. From that Waco drugstore counter, the beverage grew into a nationwide phenomenon — older than Coca-Cola's commercial bottling and widely recognized as America's oldest major soft drink brand.

Today, Dr Pepper operates as part of Dr Pepper/Seven Up, headquartered in Plano, and the original Waco birthplace is home to the Dr Pepper Museum and Free Enterprise Institute, which opened in 1991 and preserves the full history of this uniquely Texas invention.

Next time you crack open a cold one, you're tasting 141 years of Texas history.

Source: Texas State Historical Association — Texas Day by Day
📖 https://www.tshaonline.org/texas-day-by-day/entry/1074

Our office stands with the family, friends, and colleagues of Montgomery County Sheriff's Office Deputy Erika Serrato in mourning her tragic line of duty death.

Our prayers are with everyone near and dear to her in this unimaginably hard time.