Security State Bank has been serving Chambers County since
1925. The bank has enjoyed a history of security and integrity,
while keeping our focus on providing sound banking services and
friendly customer service to the citizens of Chambers County.
The bank has enjoyed great stability over the years, having only
eight presidents named throughout its history, with two serving
terms of over 20 years each.
Our thanks to our friend Kevin Ladd, and the Wallisville
Heritage Park for providing the following account of the bank’s
rich history.
The oldest financial institution in Chambers County, Security
State Bank, is celebrating its eightieth anniversary in 2005.
The bank's history begins on Valentine's Day in 1925 when the
town's only financial institution, Chambers County State Bank,
passed out of existence and was formally reorganized under a new
name. That title, Security State Bank, spoke volumes about the
relationship between the new bank's leaders and their customers.
In the year 1925, four years before the historic Stock Market
Collapse of 1929, there were no federal agencies to guarantee or
protect deposited funds. A bank depended upon its depositors,
and they in turn relied upon the financial savvy of the bank's
officials to insure that their money was safe.
Chambers County State Bank, the first established in the county,
was chartered on December 6, 1906 and began operations at
Anahuac with $10,000 in beginning capital. The first bank was a
wooden structure with an unassuming sign hanging over one door.
The local blacksmith, Frank Havenkott, added some iron bars to
the windows that might at least slow down any would-be burglars.
The bank moved its operations in 1909 to the second floor of the
Ogden & Willcox Building, where it remained for the next three
years. Construction was completed in November, 1912 on a
handsome two-story brick building on Bolivar Avenue. Though
housed in a strong building, the old bank itself eventually fell
victim to natural disasters, ruined rice crops and some bad
loans.
On February 14, 1925, Texas Banking Commissioner Charles O.
Austin, "having taken possession of the affairs and affects of
the Chambers County State Bank of Anahuac," appointed the old
bank's cashier, Fred C. Mull, as a special agent of the state
banking department. Mull was charged with the task of assisting
in the liquidation of the old institution and "to safely keep
all money, notes, accounts, evidence of indebtedness and all
assets of the bank”.
On that same day a new board of directors was formed. They were:
John H. Jackson, Ira A. Hankamer, Bert G. Riviere, R.V. Jarnigan,
Dr. George H. Fahring, J.J. Penick, H.H. Jackson, J.M. Johnson
(the most recent president of the old bank), Thad P. Moor, H.A.
Gripon and H.C. Tyrell (representing the W. C. Tyrell Trust in
Beaumont). John H. Jackson, the largest stockholder with 50 out
of the 175 shares, was elected as the new President. Fred Mull
stayed on as Cashier of the new bank.
Although John H. Jackson was the president of the bank, he was
getting on in years and took little interest in the day-to-day
affairs of the operation. These duties therefore fell on the
shoulders of J. M. "Jack" Johnson, the Vice President of the
bank. This arrangement continued until Jackson died in 1934 at
the age of 86 years.
The new bank president, Bert G. Riviere of Liberty, was kept
busy as he was also the president of Liberty's First National
Bank. He, too, left day-to-day operations to Jack Johnson, and
this arrangement continued briefly until Riviere's unexpected
death in 1937. At that point Johnson was elected as the bank
president.
The bank has weathered the Great Depression, which began with
the Stock Market collapse of 1929, and other economic downturns
of more recent times. The most notorious event in the bank's
history came on the night of March 17, 1933, a Friday, when the
bank was robbed by an unknown number of thieves. The burglars,
described in the local paper as "yeggmen," a term common to that
time period, descended upon the stately building, cut all
telephone and utility lines, and pried upon a window on the
north side of the bank. Using an acetylene torch, mounted on a
truck, the men rolled the Mosler safe into the board room and
then burned a hole into the side of it. Fred Mull discovered the
crime the next morning, when he opened up for the day. An
inventory revealed that the burglars had made off with
$2,280.45.
Construction on the building located at 405 South Main Street, began in February 1955, with the Van Cleve Construction Company of Houston receiving the contract at $101,740.00. The completed structure boasted many state-of-the-art features, including a drive-through window and a night depository box. The finished bank was dedicated in January, 1956 with Dr. G.H. Fahring as bank president. He has been followed by Dr. Lloyd Fahring, Joe Gail Clark, Douglas M. Cameron, Preston Rachal, and Gary P. VanDeventer who was named president in 2006.
The bank's board of directors reflects the rich history. Directors are A. Wayne Hankamer, Sr., Daniel J. Hankamer, Sr., J.M. "Jack" Johnson, Jr., Randall S. Nelson, Baret B. Stephenson, Linda Fahring Tinnerman, Gary P. Van Deventer, and James Earl Weaver.
Security State Bank has maintained its commitment to the community for over eight decades. Both the private and public sectors have depended on Security State Bank to meet their respective financial needs through diverse, and occasionally adverse, economic cycles. Growth in terms of asset size has not been a priority in and of itself; the absolute size of the bank is always secondary to stability, security and service.
The bank has remained a pillar of the community, sponsoring and
supporting countless programs and projects through both funding
and efforts of bank employees. These include Texas Gatorfest,
Chambers County's Youth Project Show, the Trinity Valley
Exposition, the American Heart Association, the American Cancer
Society and Chambers County Day in Austin (held every two years
since 1997). The bank has also sponsored numerous programs
related to the Anahuac Independent School District, including
annual Scholarship Awards to graduating seniors, Project
Graduation, Presidential Classroom, Star Greenhand Award,
“Banking Is” and "Teach Children to Save Day" curriculums, as
well as volunteering within the classrooms. The bank also
supports the Anahuac Youth Athletic Association, Friends of the
Anahuac Wildlife Refuge, the Upper Texas Coast Water-Borne
Education Center and numerous other organizations.
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