Chartered on May 31, 1898, the First National Bank of Mineola incorporated for $50,000 at $500 per share. The majority shareholder, lawyer and former Wood County Judge H. M. Cates, became first president. Local photographer J. O. Teagarden served as first cashier. Throughout the course of its history, First National Bank has retained a strong financial footing in the community, surviving the banking crisis of the 1930s and adjusting to Mineola's shift from an agrarian economy to a retail service center after World War II. After operating for almost 60 years from its building at the corner of Johnson and Broad streets, the bank moved to this site in 1965. (2001)