First National Bank of Orange

Until the industrial revolution reached Orange in the late 1880s, most banking needs in the area were handled through Galveston.The growth of Orange as a lumber center and deep water port, however, necessitated the development of a local banking facility.The organizational meeting for the First National Bank of Orange was held in 1889 at the office of Dr. D. C. Hewson. A board of directors was elected, and their application for a charter was accepted the same year. A major instrument in Orange's growth as a center for the timber industry, the First National Bank was associated with many of the town's prominent lumbermen. Successful sawmill operator Henry Jacob Lutcher (1836-1912) served on the bank's first board of directors as its president and built the institution's first facility at the corner of Front and Fifth streets. His sons-in-law, William H. Stark (1851-1936) and Dr.Edgar W. Brown (1888-1917), also were members of the board of directors. Among the bank's initial investors were merchant and Texas Legislator Jerome Swinford and shingle mill owner Leopold Miller. Over the years, the bank has changed locations, names, and investors, but it remains an important part of the city's commercial heritage.

First National Bank of Orange is a historical marker in Orange, Orange County, dedicated in 1984. It is one of 66 historical markers documented in Orange County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 91 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 30.0948, -93.7477 near Orange. The nearest cataloged historic site is Bland-Bazzano House (historical marker), about 0.3 miles away. Others within a short drive include Jorgensen House, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, and Howell-Linscomb Home.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5361011480. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.