First National Bank of Bryan
Bryan, Brazos County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The First National Bank of Bryan traces its history to 1862 when its earliest predecessor, a private lending agency, was established by W.H. Flippen and Milton Parker in Millican. In 1867, after the Houston and Texas Central Railroad extended its line north to the new city of Bryan, Flippen bought out Parker's interest, moved to the new community, and merged his lending operation with that of Guy M. Bryan, Jr., son of the town's founder William Joel Bryan. Guy Bryan, along with partners Frank Clarke and J. W. Howell, reorganized this financial enterprise as a private bank in 1873. J. W. Fowlkes joined Clarke, Bryan, and Howell in 1886, and the institution was renamed the First National Bank of Bryan after being granted the eleventh National Bank Charter issued in Texas. The bank was housed in the Fowlkes and Ticby Building in downtown Bryan until 1919, when it moved to new facilities at 108 Main Street. Throughout its history, the First National Bank has supported community development, survived the Great Depression through careful business management and supported many activities during World War II, including an air base in Bryan. The bank moved its main facility to 2807 Texas Avenue in 1976. (1996)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The bank traces its roots to an 1862 private lending agency founded in Millican by W.H. Flippen and Milton Parker. After the Houston & Texas Central Railroad reached the new town of Bryan, Flippen relocated and merged his operation with that of Guy M. Bryan Jr., son of the town's founder, and the enterprise was chartered as the First National Bank of Bryan in 1886—the eleventh national bank charter in Texas. It weathered the Great Depression through careful management and supported the community, including a wartime air base, through the decades that followed.
Why it matters
The bank's long survival illustrates how local financial institutions rose with the railroads and steadied their communities through depression and war.
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Related people
- · W.H. Flippen
- · Guy M. Bryan Jr.
Themes & tags
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