430 Main Street
First National Bank of Oxford
Daniel Draper and his two sons, William W. Draper and James R. Draper, opened the first bank in Oxford here in the fall of 1866–D.D. Draper & Sons. The Drapers were not only bankers, but merchants and cotton dealers, as well. A fire destroyed the building in December of 1883, it was rebuilt in 1884, and that very building still stands today.
In 1888, D.D. Draper & Sons and Davis C. Cooper consolidated to form a state bank–the Bank of Oxford. In 1903 it became known as First National Bank of Oxford, and was instrumental in the financial stability and growth of Oxford. The bank had branches extend to Cleburne, Randolph, Clay, and Talladega County.
In 1911, the building became a two-story and the marble facade was added. After the bank closed in 1932, several business were housed there. Soon, it will be home to a 1920s themed restaurant and bar.
Research by Hunter Chase Gentry and written by Julie Skinner Mangham, November 2023
Interior view of the Bank of Oxford, ca. 1908
Left to right is Davis C. Cooper, Elbert T. Allen, and Oliver W. Cooper.
Courtesy of Tull Wigley
First National Bank of Oxford on Main Street, ca. 1940s
Dr. Thomas J. Patton's office was located in the upper level of the bank. Offices were located in the rear of the bank.
Courtesy of the Public Library of Anniston-Calhoun County (PLACC)
First National Bank of Oxford on Main Street, ca. 1920s
Courtesy of "The Birmingham News", 18 December 1921
Davis Clay Cooper (1866 – 1943)
Davis Clay Cooper was the President of the First National Bank of Oxford.
Courtesy of Oxford Public Library - Oxford Room Collection