Shiner, Lavaca County
In 1891, one year after Shiner was incorporated, Confederate captain and local rancher Charles Welhausen established a private bank for the growing railroad town. Welhausen served as first president, with E. F. Wolters, William D. Green, Earl Fry and Philip Welhausen serving with him on the first board of directors. Federally chartered in 1900, the First National Bank of Shiner has proven to be a strong financial institution and civic leader despite the decline of the cotton market in the early 1900s, a 1925 drought and other economic downturns in the 20th century. The bank remains a significant part of shiner's business history. (2001)