A History of Rockdale and Rockdale State Bank

We're Banking on You

A History of Rockdale

Presented by

Rockdale State Bank

May 20, 1979

A History of Rockdale

Presented by

Rockdale State Bank

May 20, 1979

Acknowledgements

We wish to acknowledge the invaluable

assistance of Mrs. Louise Sessions for much

of the research for this book as well as

that of Mr. William H. Cooke , who gave us

access to the file copies of the Rockdale

Reporter. But most of all, we want to

acknowledge the tireless efforts of all th

emen and women of Rockdale whose

contributions hae built a city whose story

is well worth telling.

Introduction

Little more than a century has passed since the opening

of the railroad lines through Milam County, and with

them the settlement of the town that grew to be

Rockdale. Situated atop rich, extensive lignite

deposits, Rockdale from the very beginning seemed to be

a town destined for good things. But while good

fortune, a prime location and abundant natural resources

have all played an important part in Rockdale's

development, one "natural resource" has played the most

important part of all - the men and women who make up

Rockdale's population. For it seems Rockdale has been

blessed with more than its share of public-spirited

individuals.

And so the purpose of this book. We at Rockdale State

Bank have been fortunate to have had so many of these

individuals associated with the progress and development

of the bank. In the excitement of moving into our new

building, we wanted to stop and reflect for a moment on

the events that have brought us this far, as a bank and

as a town. The association between Rockdale the

Rockdale State Bank has been so close that one almost

cannot tell the history of the town without telling the

history of the bank, and vice versa.

We've been there almost every step of the way, noting

with pride the progress that has been made in such a

short time.

A History of Rockdale

Boomtown! The First Fifty Years

When the International Railroad selected a sitie in

the southwestern portion o Milam County as its

railhead in the early 1870's, the town of Rockdale

had its beginnings. Adventurous people, living out

of tents, quickly made their way to the spot that

many predicted would become the great shipping point

for Texas stock. These tents gave way to wooden

buildings and finally to more permanent brick

structures as the town came to be settled.

As more and more settles arrived, new businesses

began to spring up. Benjamin Loewenstein (Director,

Rockdale State Bank 1907-1923) and his brother

Joseph opened a dry goods store, B. Loewenstein and

Bros., on Christmas Eve of 1873. Their entire

inventory, valued at less than $300, had been

brought in by ox team. Benjamin Loewenstein later

established Rockdale Brick Works and erected seven

building the business district.

Also in the same year, E. M Scarbrough, representing

H. P. Hale and Company, took the first steps in

establishing a business with the purchase of a

downtown lot. H. P. Hale and Company opened for

business, with Scarbrough as a silent partner. This

partnership continued until Mr.Hales's death in

1882; at that time Scarbrough went into business

with Hale's former bookkeeper, R. H. Hicks. The

firm of Scarbrough and Hicks soon became one of the

most prominent and prosperous businesses in the

area. In 1889, Scarbrough moved to Austin, where he

later established a Scarbrough and Hicks branch

house. This branch house was the forerunner of

today's highly successful Scarbrough's chain in

Austin.

The county's rich coal deposits also contributed to

Rockdale's booming economy. The lignite deposits

had attracted attention to Milam County even before

the railroad lines were built. An once the area was

connected to other parts of the state by rail, the

coal mining industry steadily increased over the

next forty years. Even though the county in 1910

boasted eleven mines, peak production was not

reached until 1931 with has as many mines in

operation.

Opposite page above, Hotel Wolf was a celebrated

establishment during Rockdale's early days because

of its excellent estaurant. Opposite page below,

cotton, as well as the mining industry, played an

important part in Rockdale's history.

Below: This 1902 series bank note ordered the First

National Bank of Rockale to "pay to the bearer on

demand twenty dollars".

Below: Shown are Rockdale State Bank's cashier and

assistant cashier Ted Ryan and John T. Hale.

On right, Top is the depot of the

International and Great Northern Railroad.

Below, one of the daily lignite-loaded trains

leaves Rockdale.

With the boom in business came several banks. The

Rockdale Bank was first, having opened in January of

1874, although it failed two years later. It was

reopened and later acquired by Judge James S. Perry,

who maintained its operation until 1892. The First

National Bank of Rockdale was organized in 1889,

Rockdale State Bank in 1907 and Citizens State Bank

in 1912. Rockdale remained a three-bank town until

the early 1930's when the other two banks were

consolidated with Rockdale State Bank to protect

their customers from loss during the Depression.