Former Bank Building of Giddings & Giddings
Brenham, Washington County, Texas
Marker Inscription
A private firm; Brenham's first bank, founded 1866 by lawyer-brothers J. D. and D. C. Giddings. This building was erected 1872 for bank, with Brenham Chapter No. 5, Royal Arch Masons, owning third floor. Bank closed in 1945.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Brothers J. D. and D. C. Giddings, lawyers by training, opened Brenham's first bank in 1866 as Texas rebuilt after the Civil War. In 1872 they erected this building for the bank, sharing the third floor with a Royal Arch Masons chapter — a common mingling of commerce and fraternal life in a growing town. The bank served the community until it closed in 1945.
Why it matters
It marks the arrival of formal banking to Reconstruction-era Central Texas, a cornerstone of local economic growth.
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Related people
- · J. D. Giddings
- · D. C. Giddings
Themes & tags
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