Liberty County Bank

Liberty County Bank. Zbranek Building. At the turn of the century, the town of Liberty was growing from the oil industry boom in the area. German-born banker George P. Zeiss (1848-1914) of Waller purchased land in Liberty for the establishment of a private banking institution. He owned the German American Bank of Waller and spent the late spring through early summer in 1903 acquiring the Liberty property and supervising construction. Zeiss hired an architect identified as Mr. Loraine to design the building, with plans to open in November 1903 as Liberty County Bank. The two-story brick commercial building was designed in beaux arts style in brick and cast stone. Prominent features include a balustrade, dentil course and columns capped with composite capitals flanking double arched doors., According to early records, Liberty County Bank was the first bank in Liberty, followed by the First State Bank in 1906. Both prospered with the development of the surrounding oilfields at Batson and Dayton. By 1913, George Zeiss sold the Liberty County Bank to First State. After the sale, the building was leased as a post office from 1919 to 1929. Later, an abstract and title company operated in the building, followed by a trust company. Jaromir Charles Zbranek (1930-2006) and Harlan Friend (1924-2011) purchased the property in 1962 to house their law office. Zbranek bought Friend's interest in the building and practiced law for 30 years, also serving as county Democratic Party Chairman and a member of the Lamar University Board of Regents. In 1990, Zbranek was elected as a state district judge in Liberty County, serving until his retirement in 2002.