Planters State Bank
Harlingen, Cameron County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Prior to construction of the Planters State Bank building, a barber shop owned by Harlingen pioneer Mack Crenshaw was located at this site. In 1917, the land was deeded to the Planters State Bank. The owners of the bank leased the upper floors of the structure as office space. After the Planters State Bank closed, this building served as the home of the Valley State Bank from 1924 until 1927. From that year until 1965, the Cameron County Irrigation District located its offices in this building, which has been an important element in Harlingen's business history.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This Harlingen corner began humbly as the site of pioneer Mack Crenshaw's barber shop before the land was deeded to the Planters State Bank in 1917. The bank building rose here, its upper floors leased as offices, and after Planters closed it housed the Valley State Bank from 1924 to 1927. From then until 1965 the Cameron County Irrigation District ran its operations from the building — a fitting tenant in a region whose prosperity depended on watering the Rio Grande Valley.
Why it matters
The building's chain of tenants — barber, banks, and irrigation district — traces how a raw South Texas town matured into a commercial and agricultural hub of the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
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Related people
- · Mack Crenshaw
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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