The "Old State Bank" was built in 1891. It has an interesting and somewhat adventurous history.
The building served as a bank from the time it was built until the new Frost Bank was build next door. The building was then used as the bank President's office for awhile until he moved out and it was used only for storage for the next forty or so years.
Newton Gang brothers Willis, Joe, Jess and Willie (Doc), from Uvalde, Texas, robbed the bank on January 4, 1924. At that time, Texas didn't have a high explosion law which meant that they could use the "good" stuff. They called it grease, we call it nitro. It is said that it was a cold windy night. They had a lookout hiding in the bushes at the courthouse to watch for anyone coming along. They used too much "grease" and according to "The Newton Boys Portrait of an Outlaw Gang" they blew the door clear across the street. They got between twenty and thirty thousand in money and bonds. There were sacks of silver that they didn't bother taking. It is said that the Newton Gang was the most successful bank and trainer robbers in history. They took pride in never killing anyone in their "line of work".
They did numerous stints in jail and all lived to a ripe old age. Jess died sometime in 1960 at the age of 73 from lung cancer, Doc was 83 years old and died in 1974, Willis was 90 years old when he passed in 1979, and Joe in 1989 when he was 88 years old.
The book "The Newton Boys Portrait of an Outlaw Gang" by Willis & Joe Newton as told to Claude Stanush and David Middleton is an interesting read about the adventures of these four brothers.
In 1998, 20th Century Fox released a movie, The Newton Boys, directed by Richard Linklater. Matthew McConaughy, from Uvalde, played Willis Newton, Ethan Hawke played Jess Newton, Vincent D'Onofrio played Doc Newton, and Skeet Ulrich played Joe Newton. It is a great "true story" movie of these outlaws.
The adventure doesn't stop there however, in 1972 Sam Peckinpah came to Texas with Steve McQueen and Ali McGraw to shoot "The Getaway". They used several locations in San Marcos for the movie. They used the "Old State Bank and Trust" building and called it the Beacon Hill Bank. Steve McQueen (Doc McCoy) robbed the bank. The "breakaway" bars that the movie production crew built onto the vault are still in place today.
This elegant and beautiful building was vacant, painted pink and had aluminum doors on it when Global Rock Investments purchased it in 2003 and restored it to it's original grandeur. The original wood doors and teller cages were stored on the second floor of the building and were put back into place, the pink paint was removed and it was completely finished inside and out, utilizing the existing bank counters and vaults.
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