Established on this site in 1899 as the Bank of Leesville, it was the first bank in Leesville and Vernon Parish. Founded by Mr. George R. Ferguson, it was renamed First State Bank in 1910 and The Vernon Bank in 1933. The bank did not fail during the 1929 depression. It was the first brick commercial structure on Third Street in Leesville, constructed on June 25, 1907, by architect F.W. Steinman and contractor W.C. Whitney, both of Beaumont, Texas, at a cost of $11,800.00.