Brewton in Escambia County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Bank of Brewton

By David J Gaines, August 9, 2010

1. Bank of Brewton Marker - Side A

Inscription.
Side A
Recognized as “Alabama’s Oldest Bank,” the Bank of Brewton opened for business on Monday, January 7, 1899. Brewton, Alabama was a prosperous town in the late 1800s. A local resident, Charles Sowell, participated in the flourishing times. A native of Monroe County, Alabama and a wounded veteran of the Civil War, Sowell settled in Brewton. After a brief stint as a railroad station agent, he began a timber industry that produced a sizeable fortune. In 1880 Sowell commented, “If I take all my gold and silver and put it on a wagon, two mules could not pull it. We need a bank.” Sowell started organizing the bank that would be the first bank in Escambia County, Alabama and the first bank between Mobile and Montgomery.

Side B
The Bank of Brewton was initially a private bank in 1889, but received a state charter in 1891. Its original location was a few doors from this spot. In 1912 the bank moved into a building at this site, acquired an adjacent building known as the Lovelace Hotel in 1957 and constructed a new building in its place in 1964. The bank of Brewton had only 11 presidents in the first 119 years of its existence. The quality of labor of its early leaders and the support of local citizens is what has established the historic value of the institution.

Erected

Bank of Brewton Marker - Side B image. Click for full size.

By David J Gaines, August 9, 2010

2. Bank of Brewton Marker - Side B

2010 by Alabama Tourism Department and the City of Brewton.

Location. 31° 6.288′ N, 87° 4.305′ W. Marker is in Brewton, Alabama, in Escambia County. Marker is at the intersection of Belleville Avenue and St Joseph Avenue (U.S. 31), on the right when traveling south on Belleville Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 103 Belleville Ave, Brewton AL 36426, United States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Hart Station (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Escambia County Veterans Memorial (about 600 feet away); Ritz Theater (about 600 feet away); The Leigh Place (approx. 0.2 miles away); Burnt Corn Park Cistern (approx. 0.2 miles away); Union Cemetery (approx. 0.7 miles away); Franklin Cemetery (approx. 0.8 miles away); Downing-Shofner School (approx. one mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Brewton.

More about this marker. The marker was originally located in front of the historical entrance to the bank. That entrance is no longer used. The current entrance is on Belleville Ave.

Categories. • Industry & Commerce •

Bank of Brewton Marker (original location) image. Click for full size.

By David J Gaines, August 9, 2010

3. Bank of Brewton Marker (original location)

Bank of Brewton Marker (new location) image. Click for full size.

By Tom Bosse, July 31, 2017

4. Bank of Brewton Marker (new location)

Credits. This page was last revised on October 25, 2017. This page originally submitted on December 16, 2010, by David J Gaines of Pinson, Alabama. This page has been viewed 809 times since then and 54 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 16, 2010, by David J Gaines of Pinson, Alabama. 4. submitted on October 24, 2017, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.