Old Ward County Bank
Barstow, Ward County, Texas
Marker Inscription
C. E. Pierce, an early advocate of irrigated agricultural lands for the Pecos River valley, had this building constructed in 1901 to house Ward County's first bank. Never incorporated, the bank lost money due to area crop failures and closed in 1907. Constructed of red sandstone from the nearby Barstow Quarry, the building exhibits influences of the Romanesque revival style and features an interesting corner entrance. (Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1962.)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
C. E. Pierce, a champion of irrigated farming in the Pecos River valley, built this red sandstone structure in 1901 to house Ward County's first bank. Quarried nearby at Barstow, the building shows off a Romanesque revival style and a distinctive corner entrance. The bank itself was short-lived, undone by area crop failures and shuttered by 1907.
Why it matters
The rise and quick fall of this frontier bank captures the boom-and-bust gamble of settling arid West Texas on the promise of irrigation.
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Related people
- · C. E. Pierce
Themes & tags
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