Yoakum National Bank

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'm gonna give it to you straight with a little color on the side. The town of Yoakum incorporated on May 13, 1889, and it didn't take long for folks to realize that a growing town with growing business had a growing problem. No bank.

Now, a town without a bank is like a rancher without a fence. Things tend to wander off. W.O.

Richardson saw that gap, and he didn't just sit on his porch thinkin' about it. He rounded up other community leaders and got to work organizing a commercial bank right there in Yoakum. On June 19, 1890, the First National Bank of Yoakum was established, and it came with a proper board of directors: J.M.

Bennett, J.P. Morris, A. May, B.P.

Stephenson, W. Heuermann Jr., W.S. Boothe, and W.O.

Richardson himself. That is seven names, seven sets of shoulders carrying something new into existence. Less than a month later, on July 10, 1890, those doors opened for business.

In rented space, mind you. Nothing fancy. But the roots were going down.

By August of 1890, a permanent lot was purchased, and before May of 1892, the bank had relocated into a two-story building. Two stories. In a town that had only been incorporated a few years prior.

Then came 1893, and the panic of that year swept through the country like a bad wind, devastating most small banks. Most. Not this one.

The First National Bank of Yoakum held on, held firm, and kept right on going. That kind of resilience tends to build a reputation, and a reputation tends to build a community. The bank put its money where Yoakum lived, investing in the local cotton and tomato industry, and later in the leather industry.

In early 1907, the shareholders changed the name to Yoakum National Bank, a name that wore the town's identity like a badge. Decades rolled by, the bank grew, and in 1971 it moved to this very location to better serve the people it had been servin' all along. From that first day in rented space in 1890, through a name change and a financial panic and the shifting tides of an entire region's economy, the Yoakum National Bank did what a good bank in a good town is supposed to do.

It held the line for its citizens and its industries, and it helped Yoakum become what Yoakum is. That's not just banking. That's community.

What the marker says

The town of Yoakum incorporated on May 13, 1889, and with a growing population and business, a banking house was needed. W.O. Richardson recognized this need and with the assistance of other community leaders, organized a commercial bank in Yoakum. On June 19, 1890, the First National Bank of Yoakum was established with the following board of directors: J.M. Bennett, J.P. Morris, A. May, B.P. Stephenson, W. Heuermann, Jr., W.S. Boothe, and W.O. Richardson. The First National Bank of Yoakum opened its doors for business on July 10, 1890, in rented space. A permanent lot was purchased in August 1890 and the bank relocated to a two-story building some time before May 1892. The local bank prospered and grew, even withstanding the panic of 1893 that devastated most small banks. In early 1907, the shareholders changed the name to Yoakum National Bank. Involvement in the community and area's interests were often considered, such as investment in the local cotton and tomato industry, and later the leather industry. In 1971, they moved to this location to better serve the community. From its earliest years, the First National Bank of Yoakum and later the Yoakum National Bank played a vital and major role in the growth and development of Yoakum and the surrounding areas. Through support of individuals and businesses, the Yoakum National Bank aided the financial prosperity of Yoakum's citizens and industries. (2017)