Bankersmith, Texas | |
|---|---|
  Bankersmith  Bankersmith | |
| Coordinates:30°08′23″N98°49′09″W / 30.13972°N 98.81917°W /30.13972; -98.81917 | |
| Country | USA |
| State | Texas |
| County | Kendall |
| Founded by | San Antonio, Fredericksburg and Northern Railway |
| Population | |
• Total | 0 (Officially) |
Bankersmith (also sometimes written asBanker Smith[1]) is aghost town inKendall County,Texas, United States.[2] The town was founded in 1913. It lies approximately halfway betweenFredericksburg andComfort, near the border ofGillespie County.
Bankersmith originated in 1913 as atrain station along theSan Antonio, Fredericksburg and Northern Railway which served nearbyGrapetown, Texas, running between Fredericksburg and Comfort.[3] The town and rail station drew its name of "Bankersmith" fromTemple Doswell Smith, an important Fredericksburgbank president who financed the railroad.[3][4] In the early 1940s, the railroad abandoned the line running through Bankersmith.
Old Route 9 / Old San Antonio Road is the firstpaved road running north into Fredericksburg, that ran through Bankersmith after the founding of the Bankersmith Train Station.[3]
However, the much laterU.S. Route 87 did not pass through Bankersmith. It later became an important alternative route between Fredericksburg and Comfort.[3][4]
During the 1920s, Bankersmith reached its peak population of approximately 50. Thepost office was sometimes listed as being in Kendall County and sometimes listed in Gillespie County, depending on the abode of the currentPostmaster. It was surrounded by a small business district which served the train station.[4] By the 1940s, the town was all but abandoned and the post office was gone—although some residents persisted into the 1960s.[4]
As the town was located in theTexas 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.[3] The tunnel is now part of Old Tunnel State Park and the home to thousands ofbats.[5] 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.[6]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | 10 | — | |
| 1940 | 10 | 0.0% | |
| 1950 | 20 | 100.0% |
In 2012, restaurateur Doug Guller purchased parts of the town onCraigslist, and renamed the town to "Bikinis, Texas" afterBikinis Sports Bar & Grill, his restaurant chain. The purchase price is not known, also some have questioned Guller's ability to rename a town that no longer officially exists.[7]
Guller declared his intentions to turn the town into a tourist destination by creating ahall of fame for the bikini swimsuit, presenting its history beginning with its invention in 1946. Guller has said he had no plans to open a Bikinis Sports Bar & Grill restaurant at the location, but might start abar inside an abandoned bus there.[7] The bus resides at 30°8'24"N and 98°49'8"W.[8]
In 2015, Guller reverted to the name Bankersmith, wanting to mend fences withFredericksburg.[9]
As of 2021, Bankersmith, Texas is a fully functioning bar, restaurant, and tourist attraction that proudly claims its history as a ghost town. However, its official address is given as 7905 Old San Antonio Road, Fredericksburg, TX 78624—substantiating the claim that the town no longer exists.[10]
Municipalities and communities ofKendall County, Texas,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| CDP | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |