Edcouch is getting ready to mark 100 years since its founding with a market and car show.

The Edcouch Centennial Market Day is set for Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. at 520 Pacific St.

The city traces its roots back to 1926, when land owned by Edward Couch went up for auction. Advertisements for the sale ran in newspapers across the state.

"By 1926, the decision made by the Southern Pacific Railroad was to develop little depots," Museum of South Texas History CEO Francisco Guajardo said.

Couch set the land auction for Sept. 26, 1926. The city takes its name from him.

"Named after Edward C. Couch, a prominent landowner and banker, partner with W. L. Forbes, another banker," Guajardo said.

Agriculture quickly became central to Edcouch's identity. The city once had packing sheds and an ice plant, and workers from Mexico helped fuel its growth.

"So Edcouch had a bunch of packing sheds; it had an ice plant, eventually within two or three decades. Braceros are coming from Mexico; Edcouch would explode," Guajardo said.

Two major freezes in 1949 and 1951 shifted the industry away from citrus toward seasonal crops like vegetables.

"If you care about yourself, you should care about where you're from," Guajardo said.