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Our History
Incorporated August 23, 1909 as:
The First State Bank
Opened for Business October 6, 1909
Cotton was "king" when the bank was organized as evidenced by at least six general merchants, two grocers, two druggists and one cotton ginner, three movie houses, and hotels. The area was teaming with cotton. Every Saturday was a time to "go to town" to shop and socialize at one of many mercantile and grocery stores. The Hallsville Merchants and Businessmen's Association consisted of T. P. Black, J. W. Holloway, Brown & Cullen, H. J. T. Jones, T. H. Etheridge & Son, A. N. Kennedy, L. P. Ponder, Sypert & Woodall, J. C. Hill, Watt Drug Company, H. P. Lynch, John H. Bass and The First State Bank.
The late C. F. Haywood, father to our own Ethelyn Moore, after receiving a call from a friend at Commercial National Bank of Shreveport, Louisiana, became the Bank's first cashier. He moved from Marshall to Hallsville and began a banking career at The First State Bank that spanned almost 50 years. He was originally from Fort Worth where his father worked for the Fort Worth Gazette, that town's first newspaper.
Over the Last 90 years, The First State Bank has occupied four different locations in Hallsville:
| 1909 - 1918 |
Center of block, Main Street
(currently C. F. Haywood Ins. Agency) |
| 1919 - 1963 |
Corner of Central and Main Street |
| 1963 - 1985 |
123 Main Street |
| 1985 to present |
500 W. Main Street |
On September 10, 1910 (eleven months after opening) the Total Bank Assets were $42,852.88. This is quite a bit different from our current Total Assets of $30,981,646.66 with capital and reserves of $2,626,774.52
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