City National Bank

The bank's own history supplies figures the plaque leaves out. The corner lot on the square cost 3,350 dollars and the two-story building 5,390 dollars. J. J. Dabbs, the first president, served two years, then W. B. Womack, followed by his son in 1900. W. W. Jones Sr. took the chair in 1931 and kept it 35 years, through years when about three-quarters of Hopkins County farmers were tenants and 2,626 people worked on relief programs in 1935. The bank says its original vault door still works.

What the plaque says

City National Bank The oldest banking institution in Sulphur Springs, City National Bank was organized in 1889. The first board of directors included J. J. Dabbs, John T. Hargrove, J. F. Carter, J. A. B. Putnam, W. B. Womack, W. A. Dabbs, and S. W. Summers. A two-story brick building was erected at this site on the town square. W. W. Jones, Sr., was a dominant figure in the bank. With his strong leadership, the bank thrived and survived the Great Depression intact. The original bank building was razed in 1968 and a new structure was built in its place. (1989)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Cooper Lake State Park — 15 mi
  Two units on Jim Chapman Lake, a Corps reservoir proposed in the late 1930s, stalled by a lawsuit until 1984 and dedicated in 1991, with a 10.5-mile equestrian trail and wildlife land around it.

More markers nearby

• General W. H. King — steps away
• First United Methodist Church of Sulphur Springs — steps away
• First Christian Church — steps away
• Sulphur Springs Loan and Building Association — steps away