Old First National Bank Building
Edgewood, Van Zandt County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Built by Virgil Henson (1882-1967) and W. A. Covin (1871--1946) in 1909, this structure housed the First State Bank of Edgewood. Started by J. P. Downs (1879-1932), it later became the First National Bank. In 1918 a second floor was added, providing meeting space for the directors and a Masonic Lodge. In 1929 the Farmers and Merchants State Bank merged with First National. Directors at the time included N. L. Cheatham, J. E. Humphries, J. H. Jones, Lee Joyner, R. M. Millsaps, W. H. Pickens, Sr., W. A. Presley, R. E. Slaughter, and G. M. Youngblood. The bank moved in 1959 and the building later housed a cafe. (1980)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Built in 1909 by Virgil Henson and W.A. Covin, this building housed the bank founded by J.P. Downs that grew from the First State Bank into the First National Bank of Edgewood. A second floor added in 1918 gave the directors a meeting room and a Masonic Lodge a home, and in 1929 the Farmers and Merchants State Bank merged into it. The bank moved out in 1959, and the building later became a cafe.
Why it matters
A small-town bank building like this was the financial anchor of an agricultural community, and its mergers and fraternal upstairs hall capture how Main Street commerce and civic life shared the same walls.
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Related people
- · Virgil Henson
- · W.A. Covin
- · J.P. Downs
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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