Haslet, TX
N 32° 58.465 W 097° 20.898
14S E 654348 N 3649662
Originally the Haslet State Bank and briefly a residence, the City of Haslet now uses the c. 1919 bank building as its city hall.
Waymark Code: WM11922
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 09/09/2019
Views: 1
There are plenty of references to the old bank in various banking-related books, but they generally don't say much other than noting the existence of the bank and the capital it had on hand at a given time. Volume 50 of "The Bankers Encyclopedia" (see Documentation URL, below) provides the same information, but gives an establishment year of about 1919. It also notes its president as one J.L. Gammill, and his
obituary in the
Dallas Morning News provides a few tidbits:
September 13, 1953
Death Claims J. L. GAMMILL, Denton Doctor
Denton: Dr. J. L. GAMMILL, 83, pioneer physician and banker of Denton and Tarrant Counties, died Saturday night in a Denton hospital. He had entered the hospital earlier in the day. He was born in Lincoln County, Tennessee and came to Denton County in 1889 at the age of 19, settling in the Stony community. He engaged in farming there until 1897 when he entered the Fort Worth Medical College. He began his medical practice at Stony in partnership with Dr. J. L. HOOPER. In a few years he moved to Ponder where he lived until 1925, when he moved to Haslet. Dr. Gammill, a bachelor, also was active in establishing banks in three communities. He was a stockholder and director of the Ponder State Bank from 1910-1935. When the Haslet State Bank was liquidated a few years ago, he established residence in the abandoned building. At the time of his death, Dr. Gammill was a stockholder and director of the Justin State Bank. He retired from active practice about 15 years ago. At one time he owned several farms but had disposed of his real estate interests in recent years. Survivors include a brother, BEN D. GAMMILL of Ponder, two sisters Mrs. VIRGIE REED of Haslet and Mrs. BERTA BLEDSOE of Petersburg, Tennessee and several nieces and nephews. Funeral arrangements are pending with the Jack Schmitz & Son Funeral Home of Dallas.
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Haslet itself has roots going back to the 1880s, and the townsfolk tell a story of the name's origins: In 1886, land owner Charles L. Maloney was fairly adamant that the railroad's wheels of progress roll across someone else's property, but Mrs. Maloney got him to change his mind when she suggested that it would be nice to ride the train to and from Fort Worth. Maloney rode down to the railroad and told the workers that they could build through his property, prompting someone to say "He has let us go through." Some accounts indicate that a railroad worker from Haslet, MI thought that "has let" would be a good name for the settlement. While there was hustle and bustle, it wasn't until 1961 that Haslet actually incorporated, and today, the area is booming with activity, both commercial and residential.