Farmers State Bank and Reinstein Store
Chappell Hill, Washington County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Chappell Hill began as an agricultural community in 1847 but had no bank until a population boom in the early 1900s brought wealth and economic prosperity. Farmers State Bank organized in March 1907 and opened in September of that year with J. J. Shaver as president. Alex Griffin of Brenham was awarded the contract for the construction of a fireproof building. The one-story bank features large storefront panels and transoms and a plaster over brick finish. The bank, renamed Chappell Hill Bank in 1986, also acquired the 1878 W. R. Reinstein Store, a one-story, four-bay brick building with arched entry doors, a stepped parapet and decorative brick corbelling. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2009
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Chappell Hill grew as a Washington County farming town from 1847 but had no bank until an early-1900s boom brought new wealth. Farmers State Bank organized in March 1907 and opened that fall in a fireproof brick building with big storefront transoms, later acquiring the neighboring 1878 W. R. Reinstein Store with its arched doors and stepped parapet. Renamed Chappell Hill Bank in 1986, the institution preserved two handsome examples of small-town Texas commercial architecture.
Why it matters
The paired bank and store capture how a prosperous cotton town built the commercial institutions and Main Street architecture that anchored rural Texas life.
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Related people
- · J. J. Shaver
- · W. R. Reinstein
Themes & tags
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