First National Bank of Farmersville

Duane's take

Here's what the official marker has to say, and I'll tell it my way. The town of Farmersville, named, the marker tells us, for the occupation of many of its citizens, was founded in the mid 1850s. And from the very beginning, this was a place that worked for a living.

So it only makes sense that when the people of Farmersville decided they needed a bank, they built one that would work just as hard as they did. Now, it didn't start out lookin' like much. The Exchange Bank opened in 1885, tucked into the rear of the Aston Brothers store; not exactly a marble-columned institution, but it was a start.

Then on January 17, 1887, a national bank charter was obtained, the Exchange Bank merged with the First National Bank of Farmersville, and Pioneer Doctor A.H. Neathery, a doctor, mind you, stepped in as the first president. Already this story has more turns than a farm road in a rainstorm.

The bank set up at 119 South Main Street, and things rolled along until 1905, when the building was destroyed by fire. Now, lesser outfits might've called it quits right there. This one was rebuilt.

By 1929, the First National Bank had grown confident enough to absorb the Farmersville National Bank. Then in 1933, it absorbed the First National Bank of Nevada, from the small town of Nevada, south of Farmersville, and that brings us to the chapter that tested every bank in America. The Depression of the 1930s hit hard.

The First National Bank of Farmersville suffered heavy losses. It went through not one but two reorganizations. And yet, and here is where the story earns its ending, the bank never failed.

Not once did its customers suffer an interruption of services. Through fire, through depression, through reorganization, this institution held the line for the people who built it. The bank moved to a new location in 1970, expanded its building in 1979, converted to a state bank charter in 1986, and took the name First Bank at Farmersville.

By the time this marker was placed in 1996, it stood as one of the twenty oldest independent banks in Texas, with more than a hundred and ten years of continuous service to Farmersville and the communities around it. Some things in Texas, it turns out, are just as stubborn as the farmers who started them.

What the marker says

Named for the occupation of many of its citizens, the town of Farmersville was founded in the mid 1850s. A private bank, the Exchange Bank was established in 1885, and housed in the rear of the Aston Brothers store. A national bank charter was obtained on January 17, 1887, and the Exchange Bank merged with the First National Bank of Farmersville. Pioneer Doctor A.H. Neathery served as the first president. The bank building, then located at 119 South Main Street, was destroyed by fire in 1905 but it was rebuilt. The First National Bank absorbed the Farmersville National Bank in 1929. In 1933 the First National Bank of Nevada, from the small town of Nevada south of here, was also absorbed. Despite experiencing heavy losses and undergoing two reorganizations during the Depression of the 1930s, the bank never failed and its customers suffered no interruption of services. The bank moved to its present location in 1970, and expanded the building in 1979. The bank converted to a state bank charter in 1986, and changed the name to the First Bank at Farmersville. The bank, one of the 20 oldest independent banks in Texas, has served Farmersville and the surrounding communities continuously for more than 110 years. (1996)