One of the early banks of Navasota

From the Navasota newspaper around 1910.

Here are some great old shots of one of the early banks in Navasota Texas, Citizen's National Bank at the corner of Railroad St. and Washington Avenue. In 1932 the bank sold its deposits and assets to The First National Bank.

This a view of the bank building looking north down Railroad Street around 1910.

Lilly Ice Cream Company got its start in the building in the mid '30's, but later the creamery moved to Bryan. Ralph Hughes operated a Lack's Associate Store there in the 1940's. It has been occupied by the Noto's Auto Store for 50 years, but has served the town at this busy intersection (when Turner's was downtown and just across the street) for perhaps one hundred years.

Many of the hotels on Railroad St. were still in operation, and there were some stores, such as the Galveston Store and Storey's next door as well. A great deal of business was done across the tracks in those days, and with several railroad depots nearby, the focus of the town was the train and the railroad tracks.

My favorite shot, perhaps of all my collection, is the busy Mercer photograph on the bottom with the bank on the right and the Turner's hardware on the left.

Note the horse drawn wagon and the guy below in the foreground carrying a stack of produce baskets. I'm pretty sure the photographer was perched at an eastern window in the present day Prosperity Bank and got him to shag across the street with the silly burden for effect. Looks like a typical Saturday in Navasota.

Made some time in the 1940's this photo shows that a cotton merchant called Fletcher L. Yarbrough & Co. occupied the building, probably on the second floor. See details below...