Del Rio Bank & Trust

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Del Rio Bank and Trust. Now settle in, because this story starts before the city of Del Rio even had a city government to speak of. That's right.

The Del Rio Bank and Trust is one year older than Del Rio's own city government. The bank organized on August 10, 1910, and from that first day, it was no small affair. The original shareholders purchased 750 shares at a hundred dollars a share, and those shareholders were not just anybody.

They were some of the most prominent members of the community, drawn from the ranching and entrepreneurial worlds of southwest Texas. One name on that original list ought to make you sit up a little straighter: John Nance Garner, the man who would go on to serve as Vice President of the United States under President Franklin Roosevelt. That's the kind of company this bank kept right from the jump.

The original location sat in the heart of the town's original business district, which was exactly where you'd want to be if you were the bank everybody trusted. Then in 1939, the bank moved to a larger facility, just a block away on South Main. Not far, but bigger.

And then in 1957, Del Rio Bank and Trust did something no other bank in Del Rio had done before. It added drive-thru banking. First in town.

That convenience came to Del Rio courtesy of this institution, and the community took notice. The summer of 1976 brought another move, this time to a current location on Veterans Boulevard. The new facility had double the square footage and a larger drive-thru to boot.

Now, you could talk about this bank purely in terms of money and square footage and drive-thru lanes, but that would be missin' the real story. Because Del Rio Bank and Trust has been doing something the ledger books don't always capture. It awards scholarships.

It supports local programs. It lends out its facilities to clubs and community training classes. It adopted Greenwood Park, covering the cleaning and maintenance costs itself.

And it has taken on the restoration and preservation of the Cassinelli Gin House, one of Del Rio's few sites on the National Register. Almost consecutively owned by community members from the beginning, this bank has been part of the foundation of Del Rio for over a century. Some institutions hold your money.

This one, it turns out, helped hold the whole town together.

What the marker says

One of the county's oldest and most influential institutions is the Del Rio Bank and Trust, which is one year older than the city government of Del Rio. The bank organized on August 10, 1910. The original shareholders of the bank and trust purchased 750 shares at $100 per share. Those shareholders consisted of several of the most prominent members of the community and the southwest Texas ranching and entrepreneurial communities, including John Nance Garner, Vice President of the U.S. Under President Franklin Roosevelt. The original location was in the heart of the town's original business district, moving in 1939 to a larger facility only a block away on south main. Drive-thru banking was added in 1957 and was the first bank in Del Rio to have this convenience. In the summer of 1976, the Del Rio bank and trust moved to its current location on Veterans Blvd. The new facility had double the square footage as well as a larger drive-thru. In addition to serving the area as a financial institution, the Del Rio bank and trust has assisted the community in many fashions. It has awarded scholarships and supported many local programs. The bank lends out their facilities to local clubs and community training classes. It has also adopted Greenwood Park, covers the cleaning and maintenance costs and is responsible for the restoration and preservation of the Cassinelli Gin House, one of Del Rio's few national register sites. Almost consecutively owned by community members, the Del Rio Bank and Trust has been a part of the foundation of the Del Rio community for over a century.