West Plains in Howell County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

The Original West Plains Bank

1883

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 19, 2021

1. The Original West Plains Bank Marker

Inscription.
This property has been placed on the
National Register of Historic Places
by the United States Department of the Interior

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce • Notable Buildings. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1883.

Location. 36° 43.735′ N, 91° 51.161′ W. Marker is in West Plains, Missouri, in Howell County. It is on Washington Avenue just south of West Dixon Street, on the right when traveling south. The marker is on the subject building, near the south/left edge of the facade. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 107 Washington Avenue, West Plains MO 65775, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Missouri. It is also in the American Ozarks,

in the Lewis & Clark Corridor,

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian

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Culture,

the Louisiana Purchase,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: W. J. and Ed Smith Building (here, next to this marker); Famous Grocery, Elledge Arcade (within shouting distance of this marker); Civil War Skirmish - 1862 (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Time Capsule (about 300 feet away); In Memory of Six Confederate Soldiers (about 300 feet away); Early West Plains Spring (about 500 feet away); Butler Building (about 600 feet away); Mount Zion Lodge Masonic Temple (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in West Plains.

Regarding The Original West Plains Bank. National Register of Historic Places № 01000013. Also a contributing property in Courthouse Square Historic District, NRHP № 03000651.

From the National Register Nomination prepared by Becky L. Snider & C. Toney Aid, September, 2000:
The West Plains Bank Building is a two-story commercial block. It has a stone foundation, brick walls and a flat roof with parapet walls. The building is 20 feet wide and 60 feet deep. The storefront
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 19, 2021

2. The Original West Plains Bank Marker
Restored 2001
Kathleen & Toney Aid
• • •
Bill Oakley Construction Company
on the ground floor spans the entire facade. This storefront has a central recessed entrance, wooden bulkheads, and large plate glass windows. The upper part of the facade is divided into four bays. There are three equally sized and equally spaced windows and one narrower window in the north-end bay. These windows, which are tall and narrow, have hooded, arched brick lintels and brick lugsills. The top sash of these windows is curved to match the arch of the brick lintels. The pressed metal cornice, which runs the width of the facade, has wide end brackets and dentils.
The West Plains Bank Building is historically significant as the first bank in West Plains. It served as the bank for six years and has continued to be used for commercial purposes throughout its history. The West Plains Bank Building was also one of the first brick buildings in West Plains. It was constructed in 1883, the same year the St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad reached West Plains, a time of enormous commercial development in the town. The building has played an important role in the commerce of West Plains for more than a century, and it is significant for
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 19, 2021

3. The Original West Plains Bank Marker
The marker is mounted near the south/left edge of the facade.
its long association with the commercial activities of the community.
On April 13, 1883, a small group of West Plains businessmen, who recognized the important role the railroad would play in the development of their town, met to organize the West Plains Bank, the town's first bank. They elected H. T. Smith to serve as the bank's first president. The original capital of the bank was $15,000. The new building, erected by the year's end, stood as an early example of the new prosperity West Plains and other towns along the railroad were experiencing. The West Plains Bank was the first brick commercial building on Washington Avenue, but it was soon joined by a solid rank of similar buildings lining each side and continuing around the Courthouse Square.

Also see . . . West Plains Bank Building (Wikipedia).

Excerpt: The West Plains Bank Building was built in 1883, and is a narrow two-story, three-bay, brick commercial building with Italianate style design elements. It features a wide pressed metal cornice that runs the width of the facade. It has two rear additions; one built about 1913 and the other about 1923. It was
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 19, 2021

4. The Original West Plains Bank
(east/front elevation)
listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. It is also located in the Courthouse Square Historic District, which was NRHP-listed in 2003.

(Submitted on September 16, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on September 16, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 14, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 8 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 16, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.