Contributed photo
Contributed photo
An marker from the Texas Historical Commission was unveiled in Temple’s Santa Fe Plaza, commemorating the 1907 founding of the Temple Commercial Club that would go on to become the current Temple Chamber of Commerce.
Among the first efforts undertaken by the commercial club was putting in sidewalks in the downtown, creating marketing materials, and negotiating transportation opportunities, according to the marker text. The Chamber of Commerce was born in 1912, when the Commercial Club merged with the Young Men’s Business Club.
The marker program was started in 1962 to encourage heritage tourism. No more than 175 applicants are approved for a new marker each year.
Major projects the Chamber was involved in over the years include negotiating placement of Camp Hood, which became Fort Hood; McCloskey General Hospital – currently the Olin E. Teague Veterans Center; and Lake Belton.
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