Lewis R. Madden shown holding a plaque commemorating his years of service to the Seaport Bank and First National Bank stated, “I was privileged to have served as director on the Seaport Bank from 1971 until 2006 and the First National Bank as director from 2006 until 2010. It was amazing to see the growth and the changes in the banking business during those years.”

“Seadrift was without a bank from the time of the Great Depression in the 1930s until 1971. My wife and I operated a business in Seadrift from 1954 until 1987. When we opened our first business in 1954, a movie theatre, we realized there was a great need for a bank. It was a chore to run to Port Lavaca to make deposits and pick up change. When we opened our hardware store and needed more cash in order to cash pay checks, sometimes it was almost a daily run to the bank.”

“Without a local bank the working people had no way to cash their pay checks. If they could not cash their checks they could not buy anything or pay their bills. At times we almost felt like we were operating a bank, but it was necessary to do business.”

“When Mr. W. H. Bauer, Sr. walked into our store one day and proclaimed he wanted to open a bank in Seadrift, we were ecstatic. We could not believe our ears. He said the bank would have deposits totaling 1 million dollars after the first year. A million dollars was a huge amount for our small town at that time. In fact, we thought it was an enormous, unheard of amount and wondered if it would really ever come to pass.”

“The Seaport Bank was one of the greatest things to happen to Seadrift. It was one of the things lacking in our community and it added much to the prosperity of our area. People immediately began to support it with their business and it prospered through the years.”

The Seaport Bank opened in 1971 and at the close of business April 20, 1971 resources totaled $670,219.20. At the close of business June 30, 1971 resources totaled $1,361,934.79. It took only a few months to surpass the million dollar mark.

The original directors of the Seaport Bank were W. H. Bauer, Sr., W. H. Bauer, Jr., Clyde Bauer, Thomas T. Bauer, Kenneth Clark, Lewis R. Madden, Curtis F. Nelson and S. W. Yarbrough, Jr. When First National Bank took over Seaport bank in 2006, W. H. Bauer, Jr., Kenneth Clark and Lewis Madden were the only ones left of the original directors to transfer to the board of directors of the First National Bank. Others who were serving on the board, at the time of transition, transferred also.

-The Dolphin thanks Juaniece Madden for contributing this article.