Thomas Murchison, born in Tennessee and raised in Marshall, Mississippi, moved with his parents to Houston County, Texas around 1848, then to Athens around 1855, where he worked in a general store before starting his own mercantile with John Ratcliff around 1858 at 119 Tyler Street. Besides selling a variety of goods, the store kept a safe that townspeople used to store valuables such as cash, jewels, and gold. Around 1887, local businessmen began discussing the creation of a bank, and after an application was sent to the comptroller of currency, a charter was granted in 1890. By 1893, the board of directors chose a new site, and the building next to R.A. McDonald became the second bank location. D.R. Murchison served as bank president from 1910 to 1914, followed by J.W. Murchison, Sr. until 1924; J.W. Murchison, Sr. was a prominent and influential citizen who supported Athens's development by financing new business ventures. In 1924, brothers Frank and Clint Murchison took control of the bank. Loy Freeman became president in 1946 and was among the few women to hold that office. Clint W. Murchison, Sr. helped secure the bank's present location, which opened for business on August 24, 1962. For more than 100 years, the bank, rooted in the Murchison family, participated in many projects as Henderson County grew and developed.