Bankersmith, Texas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bankersmith, Texas
Ghost town
Bankersmith, Texas Location in Texas Show map of Texas Bankersmith, Texas Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	USA
State	Texas
County	Kendall
Founded by	San Antonio, Fredericksburg and Northern Railway
Population
• Total	0 (Officially)

Bankersmith (also sometimes written as Banker Smith) is a ghost town in Kendall County, Texas, United States. The town was founded in 1913. It lies approximately halfway between Fredericksburg and Comfort, near the border of Gillespie County.

History and geography

Bankersmith Train Station

Bankersmith originated in 1913 as a train station along the San Antonio, Fredericksburg and Northern Railway which served nearby Grapetown, Texas, running between Fredericksburg and Comfort. The town and rail station drew its name of "Bankersmith" from Temple Doswell Smith, an important Fredericksburg bank president who financed the railroad. In the early 1940s, the railroad abandoned the line running through Bankersmith.

Old Route 9 / Old San Antonio Road

Old Route 9 / Old San Antonio Road is the first paved road running north into Fredericksburg, that ran through Bankersmith after the founding of the Bankersmith Train Station.

However, the much later U.S. Route 87 did not pass through Bankersmith. It later became an important alternative route between Fredericksburg and Comfort.

Bankersmith Post Office

During the 1920s, Bankersmith reached its peak population of approximately 50. The post office was sometimes listed as being in Kendall County and sometimes listed in Gillespie County, depending on the abode of the current Postmaster. It was surrounded by a small business district which served the train station. By the 1940s, the town was all but abandoned and the post office was gone—although some residents persisted into the 1960s.

The Old Tunnel of the San Antonio, Fredericksburg and Northern Railway

As the town was located in the Texas Hill Country, it is near one of the few railroad tunnels in the state (the only railroad tunnel in Texas when it was constructed). The tunnel is 962 feet (293 m) long, took six months to dig, and cost $134,000 at the time. The tunnel is now part of Old Tunnel State Park and the home to thousands of bats. The Old Tunnel State Park provides a large parking area for would-be visitors, and it is at the intersection of Old San Antonio Road and Alamo Road. Meanwhile, the southern end of the tunnel is at 30°6'2"N and 98°49'15"W.

Historical population

Major highways

• Old No 9 Hwy