American National Bank, Beaumont, TX (Charter 5825)
American National Bank, Beaumont, TX (Chartered 1901 - Closed (Merger) 1993)
Town History
Beaumont is a coastal city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the seat of government of Jefferson County, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan statistical area, located in Southeast Texas on the Neches River about 85 miles east of Houston. With a population of 115,282 at the 2020 census, Beaumont is the largest incorporated municipality by population near the Louisiana border. Its metropolitan area was the 10th largest in Texas in 2020, and 130th in the United States.
In 1824 Noah and Nancy Tevis settled on the west bank of the Neches River and developed a farm. Soon after that, a small community grew up around the farm, which was named Tevis Bluff or Neches River Settlement. In 1835 the land of Tevis, together with the nearby community of Santa Anna (in total, 50 acres), was purchased by Henry Millard (c. 1796–1844), Joseph Pulsifer (1805–1861), and Thomas Byers Huling (1804–1865) (from Perry County, Pennsylvania). They began planning a town to be laid out on this land. Their partnership, J.P. Pulsifer and Company, controlled the first 50 acres upon which the town was founded. This town was named Beaumont, after Mary Dewburleigh Barlace Warren Beaumont, the wife of Henry Millard. Beaumont became a town on December 16, 1838.
The pioneer settlement had an economy based on the development of lumber, farming, and port industries. In 1892, Joseph Eloi Broussard opened the first commercially successful rice mill in Texas, stimulating development of rice farming in the area; he also started an irrigation company (since 1933, established as the Lower Neches Valley Authority) to support rice culture. Rice became an important commodity crop in Texas and is now cultivated in 23 counties.
A big change occurred in 1901 with the Spindletop gusher, which demonstrated that a huge oil field lay underneath and adjacent to the city. With Spindletop, several energy companies developed in Beaumont, and some remain. The area rapidly developed as one of the country's major petrochemical refining areas. Along with Port Arthur and Orange, Beaumont forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the Texas Gulf Coast.
Beaumont is home to Lamar University, a national Carnegie doctoral research university with over 14,000 students, including undergraduates and postgraduates. Over the years, several corporations have been based in this city, including Gulf States Utilities, which had its headquarters in Beaumont until its takeover by Entergy Corporation in 1994. GSU's Edison Plaza headquarters remains the tallest building in Beaumont.
Beaumont had eight National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and six of those banks issued National Bank Notes.
Bank History
- Organized May 4, 1901
- Chartered May 21, 1901
- Opened for business June 1, 1901
- Assumed 12199 by consolidation June 15, 1932 (City National Bank (No Issue), Beaumont, TX)
- Bank was Open past 1935
- For Bank History after 1935 see FDIC Bank History website
- Merged into Texas Commerce Bank N.A. in Houston, TX, December 10, 1993
In January 1902, John P. Withers, formerly president of the American National Bank of Beaumont, charged with embezzlement and mismanagement of the bank's funds, was in custody of United States Marshalls in Kansas City.[1] After several continuances, the trial was begun in United States District Court, Beaumont, on November 21, 1904.The Galveston Daily News, Galveston, TX, Tue., Nov. 22, 1904. O.H. Bowen, the former assistant cashier of the American National Bank, but lately cashier of Sour Lake National, was the first witness called. About 50 witnesses had been sworn indicating the trial was likely to occupy the entire week.[2] On December 2, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty on all the counts of the indictment and the defendant was discharged.[3]
In 1907, the Sixth Annual Texas Bankers' Association meeting at Corpus Christi had Ashley E. Weaver, assistant cashier of the American National Bank, attending from Beaumont. He participated in the excursion departing from Fort Worth via a special train of Pullmans affording separate accommodations for 170 people to tour the Eastern States and Canada.[4]
In 1915, the officers were B.R. Norvell, president; W.C. Terrell, Lee Blanchette, and S.W. Pipkin, vice presidents; Chas. H. Stroeck, cashier; and P.H. Millard, and A.E. Weaver, assistant cashiers.[5]
On Monday, March 26, 1928, The American National Bank of Beaumont was open for business in its new, 12-story building just completed on Orleans Street, one block from its former location and erected at a cost of $800,000. The new building was one of three structures of 12 stories completed in Beaumont in the previous three months. The bank occupied the first floor of the building and the remainder was office space. C.J. Stroeck was recently named president, succeeding the late B.R. Norvell.[6]
P.P. Butler, vice president of the American National Bank of Beaumont was selected to be the 1931 chairman of the Texas Bankers' Association. Beaumont was chosen as the 1931 meeting place.[7]
On February 17, 1937, P.P. Butler was elevated to the presidency of the American National Bank, succeeding the late Charles H. Stroeck. W.L. Pondrom continued as vice president and Ashley E. Weaver was made a vice president and retained the title and duties of cashier. S.W. Pipkin continued as a vice president.[8]
Official Bank Title
1: The American National Bank of Beaumont, TX
Bank Note Types Issued
A total of $1,278,050 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1901 and 1935. This consisted of a total of 102,244 notes (102,244 large size and No small size notes).
This bank issued the following Types and Denominations of bank notes:
Series/Type Sheet/Denoms Serial#s Sheet Comments 1882 Brown Back 3x10-20 1 - 7300 1882 Date Back 3x10-20 1 - 7000 1882 Value Back 3x10-20 7001 - 12100 1902 Plain Back 3x10-20 1 - 6161
Bank Presidents and Cashiers
Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1901 - 1935):
Presidents:
- John Peter Withers, (Jr.), 1901-1901
- Benjamin Rush Norvell, 1902-1927
- Charles Henry Stroeck, 1928-1935
Cashiers:
- Harvey Davis Fletcher, 1901-1901
- Charles Henry Stroeck, 1902-1927
- Ashley Eugene Weaver Jr., 1928-1935
Other Known Bank Note Signers
Bank Note History Links
Sources
- Beaumont, TX, on Wikipedia
- Don C. Kelly, National Bank Notes, A Guide with Prices. 6th Edition (Oxford, OH: The Paper Money Institute, 2008).
- Dean Oakes and John Hickman, Standard Catalog of National Bank Notes. 2nd Edition (Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 1990).
- Banks & Bankers Historical Database (1782-1935), https://spmc.org/bank-note-history-project
- ↑ Austin American-Statesman, Austin, TX, Thu., Jan. 16, 1902.
- ↑ The Houston Post, Houston, TX, Wed., Nov. 23, 1904.
- ↑ The Houston Post, Houston, TX, Sat., Dec. 3, 1904.
- ↑ The Houston Post, Houston, TX, Fri., May 31, 1907.
- ↑ Austin American-Statesman, Austin, TX, Sat., Mar. 6, 1915.
- ↑ Longview News-Journal, Longview, TX, Fri., Mar. 30, 1928.
- ↑ Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, TX, Sun., Nov. 23, 1930.
- ↑ Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, TX, Thu., Feb. 18, 1937.