The following is similar to an earlier write-up about the old bank building in Rockport. I received a different picture from "The Judy Collection" and I thought that I would share some thoughts with you. The text is new, but it is of the same nature that was written earlier. The picture is different. Hope you enjoy.

Many years ago, and after the turn of the twentieth century, a group of men and women initiated action on forming a new bank for the town of Rockport. It was decided that a capital investment of fifteen thousand dollars would be needed to start a new bank. One hundred and fifty shares, at one hundred dollars a share, would be issued. The new owners bought several shares each and a few people purchased the minimum amount of one share. The name of the bank was to be Rockport Deposit Bank.

In 1903, the Rockport Deposit Bank bought the old bank building from W. P. and Sadie Iler. That same year, the new bank opened its' doors and was very successful until the doors were closed in 1927. For almost twenty-five years, Rockport had a deposit bank that did well for each of the years it operated. At a meeting of the owners in 1927, the membership voted to resolve and the bank was to be no more. Maybe Rockport was just not able to keep pace with the larger banks in the area. Beaver Dam and Hartford were growing at a fast pace and each town had successful and much larger banks. For whatever reason, Rockport Deposit Bank closed. The corporation dissolved and the old building was sold to S. L. Keown in November of 1927.

For the next twenty years, I am not sure how many tenants the old building had and what type business venture that operated within its' doors. There were several restaurants that were opened and each operated for a few years, some even less. There may have been other business operations. Twenty years is a long period of time, in Rockport history, for information not be known. In reality, it is known and may be written, it is just that I am not aware of that particular period. I am sure that others are aware of the history of the bank building from 1927 to 1947. If anyone knows and wants to share, please let me know.

Adral and Irene Shaw kept a restaurant opened in the building longer than anyone else that I can remember. They operated their restaurant in the time frame of 1952 until the late sixties. There are some Rockport residents that proclaim the Shaw's operated a restaurant in the building in the early forties. I am just not aware of this period. Thomas and Dorothy Harris and Bill and Irene Tooley are two other couples that have been mentioned. As deep as the old memory cells in my brain go, I just do not remember any restaurant operators until the late forties.

Thus, a period of history of the building from 1927 until about 1947 is vacant in my memories. Your help is requested on this manner and will be appreciated. Roy and Myrtle Hoskins, as a team, was one of those entrepreneurs that rented the bank building nd gave the restaurant business a try. I would put this time frame in the late thirties.

In the mid forties, "Cute" and Imogene Taylor tried the restaurant business for a period. Clifford "Tip" and Lois Cardwell also tried their luck. I don't have any recollection of any operation until Hemon Johnson rented the building and opened a restaurant. My thoughts are that he rented the entire building and used the upstairs as a living quarters. This was probably in 1947, maybe 1948. We lived just across the Main Street from the place of business.

I can remember Hemon Johnson's restaurant well. I think that he stayed in the business for a year of so. The Johnson's had a son that was a few years younger that the rest of us, and although he wanted to play with us, he was just a little too young and a tad too slow. Do remember him spending a lot of "Trike" time on the sidewalks while we were on bikes. Think that his name may have been Richard, but we called him "Dickey" and "Dickey Bird".

If you were facing Hemon's Restaurant (the Old Bank Building), there was a concrete block building on the left. This building was the meeting place and the Church for the "Church of God" members in the Rockport and Echols area. During this period of time, there were several Churches on Main Street. I believe that we called this church the Holiness Church. Sister Louise lived cross the street from this church and just up the hill from our house, She, at one time, was the pastor. Oakley and Bessie Bratcher were active members. So were "Fuzzy" Bratcher and his wife. This church used stringed music instruments as well as tambourines and their music and sermons could be heard some several hundred feet from the church.

To the right of Hemon's Place was a General Mercantile Store owned and operated by Mrs. Kevil and this store would later be owned and operated by Jamie Reid. Have a new picture of this old building and will work on a write-up for Kevil's place as my next project.

The old bank building is now gone. It stood empty for many years and the elements of nature took its' toil. The structural timbers decayed over a period of time and eventually fell in, leaving the outside brick structure. This structure soon fell and only a pile of bricks was left. A few of the bricks, free to anyone that wanted a memento of the bank and of Rockport, were saved by some of the citizens or past citizens. Most of the rubble though, was hauled off and a lot of it was used as "Fill In" material. Sad, but like people, there is a time for being and a time for no longer being.

I certainly hope that your time was not wasted in the process of looking and reading at this type material.

Some information for this stat was taken from Shirley Smith's book-"History Of Rockport And Echols." Thanks Shirley. See you...... jrd

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