The Guaranty State Bank exhibit tells the tale of the booming banking business of the time. The banker, a central character in every community, often knew more about the individual people in his community than even their preachers. Businessmen confided in him as they sought his best financial counsel and a loan from the bank to fund their business ventures.
The stories that he tells are about real people in Kilgore, and his descriptions of them are real. These people, boomers and longtime residents alike were those that helped add character and give stability to a town that was enduring very unstable times.
The black walk-in vault was used in the Pine Hill State Bank in the early 1900s.
The cannonball safe is opposite the vault. This name was applied to a group of burglar-resistant, round door safes produced from the late 1800s until around 1920. The name was derived from the fact that they resembled a cannonball sitting on a pedestal. The pedestals housed rectangular chests that were referred to as "Silver Chests."
Other items of interest are the brass teller cages, the dictaphone and transcriber posting machine, and the money-changing machine.
Take a moment and read about Mrs. Everett, Bank President of the First State Bank of Gladewater, Texas on the information panel above the cannonball safe. The two photos shown are from the Gladewater bank.
