First State Bank

Duane's take

The way the marker tells it, here's the story of the First State Bank of Mitchell County. Organized in 1908 with a capital of eighteen thousand dollars. Now, that might not sound like a fortune today, but back then, in that stretch of West Texas, eighteen thousand dollars was enough to plant a flag and mean it.

And the people who planted it were not bankers by pedigree. No sir. The majority of stockholders were farmers and cattlemen.

The folks who knew drought and dust and the weight of a bad season. They built this institution from the ground up, and what they built, the marker calls a leader in area growth. That is a serious thing to be called in Mitchell County.

Over the years, the bank's presidents read like a roll call of steady hands: S.E. Brown, J.C. Hall, K.L.

Taylor, and H.J. Mearse. Each one carrying it forward.

In 1922, a new building was erected. The bank had earned something solid to stand in. Then in 1962, the interior was remodeled.

The outside world kept changing, and First State Bank kept pace. Farmers and cattlemen had the majority from the start. That is worth remembering.

The people who needed a bank most were the ones who built it.

What the marker says

A leader in area growth. Organized with a capital of $18,000 (1908). Farmers and cattlemen were in majority as stockholders. Presidents have included S.E. Brown, J.C. Hall, K.L. Taylor, and H.J. Mearse. In 1922 a new building was erected and in 1962 the interior was remodeled. (1969)