First National Bank of Bartlett
Bartlett, Williamson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Jesse L. Bailey (1848-1926) and his son Charles C. Bailey (1871-1947) opened a private bank in conjunction with a mercantile business in Bartlett in 1898. J. L. Bailey and Son, Bankers, was replaced by the First National Bank of Bartlett in 1900. The institution was located on Clark Street downtown in a building that straddled the Williamson-Bell county line. The bank was granted a state charter in 1968 and was renamed the First Bank and Trust Company. Opening ceremonies were held in the new bank building at S. Dalton and Pietzsch streets on Sept. 15, 1968.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Jesse L. Bailey and his son Charles opened a private bank alongside their mercantile business in Bartlett in 1898, formalizing it two years later as the First National Bank of Bartlett. Its downtown building famously straddled the Williamson–Bell county line. Rechartered as the First Bank and Trust Company, the institution moved into a new home in 1968, capping seventy years of serving the town.
Why it matters
Small-town family banks like this one supplied the credit that let farmers, merchants, and communities across rural America grow.
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Related people
- · Jesse L. Bailey
- · Charles C. Bailey
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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