First National Bank of Wills Point

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the First National Bank of Wills Point, out in Van Zandt County. Now, every good story needs a beginning, and this one starts with a railroad. The railroad came to Wills Point, and with it came an economic boom, and with that boom came a man named John E.

Owens, who in 1879 founded a private bank to help make sense of all that new money moving through town. That's where our story takes root. Owens got his institution off the ground as a private operation, and it ran that way for a good while, until 1895, when the bank was granted a federal charter.

Official now. Legitimate in the eyes of the government. That's no small thing.

Then came 1933. If you know your American history, you know 1933 was not a gentle year for banks anywhere in this country. A state and federal bank holiday hit, and when the dust settled, the First National Bank and the First State Bank looked at each other and decided that together was better than apart.

They declared a merger, kept the name First National Bank, and set up their combined operations on North Fourth Street. Now, here's what I want you to sit with for a moment. For nearly fifty years, that bank was the primary financial institution in Wills Point.

Not one of several, not a runner-up. The primary one. When natural disasters struck and families were left picking up the pieces, First National Bank was there.

When folks had other financial needs, the bank was there too. But it didn't stop at the front door of the building. The officers and staff supported community and civic organizations.

They served on the school board. Bank officers stepped into elected roles: county judge, mayor, city treasurer, council members. This wasn't just a place to keep your money.

It was woven into the fabric of how Wills Point ran itself. In 1983, the bank moved its operations to new facilities on Commerce Street, making room for the electronic and technical improvements that kept rolling in through the years. And here's the line that lands this whole story just right: as of the time this marker was recorded, the bank was still meeting the needs of the community, same as it had for more than a hundred years.

A private bank founded by one man in a boom town in 1879, still standing. The railroad came and went, the hard years came and went, but First National Bank of Wills Point just kept on doing what it set out to do. Research for this marker was done by Dorothy Bateman Barnes, Research Historian, and her name is incised right there on the base, which feels right.

Some institutions deserve to have their story told carefully.

What the marker says

Shortly after the arrival of the railroad caused an economic boom in the Wills Point area, a private bank was founded by John E. Owens in 1879. It was granted a Federal bank charter in 1895. Following a state and federal bank holiday in 1933, the First National Bank and the First State Bank declared a merger. Operating under the name of First National Bank, their facilities were located at North Fourth Street. For nearly fifty years the First National Bank was the primary financial institution in Wills Point. The bank assisted families in the aftermath of natural disasters, and with other financial needs its officers and staff supported a variety of community and civic organizations, and have served as members of the school board. Bank officers served as elected officials such as county judge, mayor, city treasurer and as council members. The First National Bank moved its operations to new facilities on Commerce Street in 1983. Electronic and technical improvements have been added through the years. The bank continues to meet the needs of the community as it has for more than 100 years. (1996) Incise on base: Dorothy Bateman Barnes, Research Historian