The First National Bank of Fort Smith was organized February 29, 1872, as "The National Bank of Western Arkansas." Acharter was issued by the Comptroller of the Currency, authorizing the bank to commence business on March 22,1872.

The history of Fort Smith is largely the story of the First National Bank. The history of any town is but a record of theachievement of its people. While Fort Smith was founded in 1817, it was not until 1872, the date of the organizationof this bank, that the town began to assume a position in the commercial world. The bank was established by Bernard Baer, Logan H. Roots, Richard C. Kerens, Elis S. Mitchell, Dr. E. R.. Duvall, and Arthur Gunther, men familiar with the conditions confronting the town, and with faith in its possibilities and its future. The first large industrial plant to be organized was promoted largely by Bernard Baer and Logan H. Roots, the principal officers and stockholders of the bank. This was the Fort Smith Oil and Cotton Company. Shortly thereafter, Samuel McLoud, George T. Sparks, and James Vaile, who had become identified as Directors in the bank, organized the first large furniture factory to be established here under the firm name of McLoud, Vaile and Sparks.

In 1888, the bank made two historic moves. It had outgrown the original small frame building, located on what is now the corner of Garrison Avenue and Court Streets, and occupied a new brick building at Sixth and Garrison. Following the failure of another area bank which had once been named "First National," the National Bank of Western Arkansas changed its name to the First National Bank of Fort Smith.

By 1909, after three decades of steady growth, First National Bank of Fort Smith had outgrown its quarters. This time, the directors decided to build for the future and organized the First National Building Corporation which constructed the existing eight story white brick First National Building on the corner of Sixth and Garrison. This imposing landmark was completed at the close of that year, and first occupied by the bank on January 31, 1910.

During its years of service to the communities of Western Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma, First National Bank has had only seven presidents. The first president and one of the original founders was Bernard Baer, who served from 1872 until his death in 1886. Mr. Baer was succeeded by George T. Sparks, who was born in Fort Smith on June 22, 1848. Mr. Sparks served as president of the bank from 1886 until his death in 1907. At this time, Samuel McLoud, who was vice president of the bank, was elected president. Mr. McLoud came to Fort Smith in 1863, in charge of a government pack train from St. Louis and was Master of Transportation at the Fort until the end of the Civil War. He served the bank as president until he resigned due to ill health in 1914.

At the time, Mr. Frank A. Handlin was elected president of the bank, having started with the bank in 1888 as bookkeeper and advancing successfully through numerous positions. Mr. Handlin died in 1925 and Mr. A.N. Sicard was elected president of the bank. Mr. Sicard was born in Mosinee, Wisconsin on July 10, 1868. He began his banking career at age seventeen, as a clerk in a Warsaw, Wisconsin bank. Mr. Sicard moved to Fort Smith in 1889 and was associated with his father-in-law, Samuel McLoud in the Fort Smith Traction Company. Mr. Sicard, having served the bank during our nation's and industries' most trying time, the Great Depression, died in 1942. From 1942 until 1976, Mr. McLoud Sicard served as president of the bank. Mr. Samuel M. Sicard was elected president of the bank in 1977 and currently also serves as Chairman of the Board.

Under the leadership of these men, the bank has grown to be the largest in Fort Smith and one of the largest in the state. The bank has added eleven full service branches with drive-in facilities, as well as twenty-four hour teller machines at most of these locations.

In 1989, First Bank Corporation was formed as the parent holding company of First National Bank. Since that time, National Bank of Sallisaw, Citizens Bank and Trust in Van Buren, Brown-Hiller-Clark & Associates, and Realty Appraisals have been added to the First Bank Corp Financial Family.

Through First Bank Corporation, we now offer our customers the availability of 32 ATM's and 26 full-service bank locations in the Western Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma region. With the addition of Brown-Hiller-Clark in 2002, which is the largest independent insurance agency in our trade area, we now offer our customers a complete array of financial services including banking, insurance and investments.