Main/Military Plaza in San Antonio in Bexar County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
T.C. Frost and the Frost Bank
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., March 31, 2010
1. T.C. Frost and the Frost Bank Marker
Thomas Claiborne Frost (1833-1903) came to Texas from Alabama in 1855 to teach at Austin College, Huntsville. Admitted to the Bar in 1856, he served as a Texas Ranger before setting up a law practice in Comanche County. He was a delegate to the Secession Convention in 1861 and an officer in the Confederate Army. For a time after 1865, he ran a freight business between San Antonio and the port of Indianola.
In 1868 Frost entered a partnership with his brother John and M.L. Fitch in a mercantile company located at this site. In 1874 T.C. Frost became the sole owner of the operation, to which he added a warehousing and wool commission business. Because Frost was a trusted merchant with a strong safe, he served as banker for the convenience of his customers. Frost gradually phased out his mercantile and wool interests and developed the service into a general banking business.
The bank acquired a national charter in 1899. Thornton, Wright and Co., formerly Traders National Bank, and Lockwood National Bank merged with Frost. In 1922 Frost National Bank erected this 12-story building on the original store site. The bank moved to larger facilities on west Houston Street in 1973.
Erected 1978 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 2073.)
Topics. This historical marker
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Location. 29° 25.486′ N, 98° 29.636′ W. Marker is in San Antonio, Texas, in Bexar County. It is in Main/Military Plaza. Marker is at the intersection of Commerce Street and Main Plaza, on the left when traveling west on Commerce Street. Marker is near the SE corner of the Municipal Plaza Building. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 114 W Commerce Street, San Antonio TX 78205, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Civil War Centennial 1861 - 1961 (here, next to this marker); The Woll Invasion (a few steps from this marker); General David E. Twiggs (a few steps from this marker); Main Plaza - Plaza de las Islas (a few steps from this marker); Cock Fighting (within shouting distance of this marker); The Old Cathedral (within shouting distance of this marker); San Fernando Cathedral 200th Anniversary (within shouting distance of this marker); Remains of the Alamo Heroes (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in San Antonio.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., March 31, 2010
2. T.C. Frost and the Frost Bank Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 29, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 2,988 times since then and 49 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 29, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
