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| Additional information |
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| Security State Bank (SSB) |
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Overview:
Security State Bank is an independent community bank, proudly serving Chambers County since 1925 with a tradition of strength, integrity and security. As a corporate citizen, we are ever mindful of the responsibility which is ours. We pledge to conduct the affairs of this bank to the highest of standards, demonstrating sound character, and preserving our small town values.
Our goal is to provide safe, quality products and services, while maximizing value and convenience for our customers. Technology has provided the banking industry with many new opportunities over recent years. And, though we enjoy the advantages that technology brings, we remain committed to providing old fashioned personal service to our customers.
Our internet banking website has been designed with you in mind.
Our customers are our greatest asset, and the security of your personal information is our first priority. eBANK AROUND THE CLOCK provides a secure environment for you to enjoy the convenience of online “real time” access to your account information. |
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History:
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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