The Old First National Bank
at 1016 Main Street

 

In the aftermath of the Civil War, a series of financial panics shook the economy nationally and created some distrust of banks. Moreover, in post-Civil War Bastrop, currency was in short supply and commerce largely depended on barter and credit; merchants often held money and valuables for friends and customers in their safes. That began to change on March 21, 1889, when three experienced bankers—from Lampasas, San Marcos and Lockhart—capitalized and opened the first bank in Bastrop County, appropriately called "Bastrop County Bank." In May, a Building and Loan Association of local businessmen purchased the bank and recapitalized it as the First National Bank of Bastrop, Texas. On August 15, 1889, the bank received National Banking Charter #4093.

The following February, the bank's directors decided to build a new two-story "banking house"—of local brick and lumber from the Lost Pines—at 1016 Main. The expense of erecting a brick building immediately proved wise, when a disastrous fire broke out on November 23, 1890, in the A.B. Reynolds livery stable, at the present site of the Bastrop Post Office. The fire spread quickly across Spring Street to nearby stores. Volunteer firemen manned a new engine to pump water from recently constructed "water works" and saved the building, which sustained limited damage while the three buildings immediately north of the bank were total losses. In fighting the fire from the bank's roof, firemen may have saved much of downtown from devastation as well.

The bank continued to grow and was met with competition in 1909 by a newly formed Citizens State Bank, whose marquee is visible today at 912 Main. The two banks, a rarity in a town as small as Bastrop, prospered. Citizens State Bank eventually became a branch of Wells Fargo while the First National Bank has remained locally owned and operated.

For its first 60 years, First National Bank remained in the original building. In 1896, the bank was home to the first telephone in Bastrop—"Telephone Number 1"—on display today in the Visitor Center. The structure changed little until 1929, when a metal ceiling was installed and the traditional Victorian façade was covered with stucco "to hide the old brick work." The old façade was in much the same style as the Bastrop County Courthouse, which was similarly "modernized" during that period.

The work done in 1929 and the replacement of the roof with a tin one in 1931 left the interior and exterior almost exactly as it is today. The tellers' cage is much as it was originally and provides glimpse of the bank's long history. One window bears the name of Hiram G. Griesenbeck whose 40-year career with the bank began in 1914. He became a cashier and manager of operations in 1929, was elevated to vice president and manager of operations in 1943, and served the bank until his death in 1954. Another window bears the nameplate of Earl C. Erhard whose family was long associated with the bank and who served as bank president from 1951 to 1965. A third window bears the name E.F. Pearcy, who joined the bank as a clerk in 1915, shortly after his graduation from Bastrop High School, rose to the rank of assistant cashier and, except for one year of service during WW I, served the bank for 25 years. Mr. Pearcy left the bank to become Bastrop's Postmaster where he served until December 1964.

In July of 1953, the bank moved to its new quarters, directly north of the old building, featuring Bastrop's first drive-through banking window. Growth eventually compelled the bank to move, in February 2006, to new quarters at 489 Highway 71 West. The First National Bank has retained a presence in Downtown Bastrop and occupies a restored building at 1021 Main Street, directly across the street from the original structure.

The First National Bank's original building entered the National Registry of Historic Buildings in 1978 and is now owned by Brad and Robert Duff, descendants of Chester Erhard, one of the original owners. It has found new life as the Bastrop Old Town Visitor Center that, since its opening on June 5, 2006, has assisted more than 10,000 visitors—from across the nation and from 22 countries—in learning about Bastrop's history, its historic structure, lodging and dining facilities, recreational offerings, and natural attributes. The center, operated by the Bastrop County Historical Society, is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.

For further information on the First National Bank's history, visit http://www.fnbbastrop.com/history.htm. Further information about the Visitor Center and about Bastrop may be found at http://www.visitbastrop.com.