DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the First National Bank of Somervell County. Now settle in, because this one building has lived several lives — and at least one of those lives ended badly for somebody who had it coming. We're talking about a hand-hewn native stone structure, built in 1896 by a man named A.
P. Humphreys. And what did Humphreys build it as?
A saloon. That's right — the bones of this place were laid down in the name of whiskey and good company. But upstairs, the lodge hall was doing its own kind of business — dances, socials, stage shows.
The kind of place where a Saturday night could go in just about any direction. Then came 1902, and the First National Bank moved in. The saloon days gave way to ledgers and vaults, and the clientele got a little more distinguished — including one Colonel Charles Goodnight, trail-blazing cattleman, who apparently kept his money right here within these old stone walls.
Now, if you know anything about Colonel Goodnight's reputation, you understand that's not a small thing. Then we get to 1917. Someone decided this bank looked like an opportunity.
There was a robbery — and a shooting. One bandit was shot. The stone walls that had seen saloon nights and stage shows and the business of cattle empires now had a whole different kind of history soaked into them.
That building is still standing, still telling its story — every hewn stone of it placed by hand back in 1896, and still holding its ground.
What the marker says
Hand hewn-native stone structure, built 1896 by A. P. Humphreys, as saloon. Lodge hall upstairs hosted dances, socials, stage shows. First National moved in, 1902, with such customers as Col. Charles Goodnight, trail-blazing cattleman. Scene of 1917 robbery and shooting of one bandit. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1964