I'm not sure that the Kendall County community of Bankersmith ever became a full-fledged "town" - it peaked in the 1920s with a population of 50 - but Bankersmith had already declined into oblivion by 1935, when the San Antonio, Fredericksburg, and Northern Railroad finally decommissioned the tracks leading through the settlement. Today, whatever is left of Bankersmith (if anything) resides on private property that has just been sold on Craigslist to Doug Guller, the Austin millionaire who founded ATX Brands, which operates several restaurants and taverns, including the Bikinis Sports Bar & Grill franchise.
Guller's first order of business was to rename Bankersmith - the settlement is now known as Bikinis. Reportedly, there are big plans for this two-acre site in the works. Stay tuned.
My friend Maggie Montgomery made Bankersmith a destination by living there for fifteen years, creating a venue in the middle of nowhere, complete with house concerts, BBQ and Sunday jams. She was evicted from Bankersmith yesterday so the bikers could take over what she created. Somehow, that got left out of the story....her son, Monte Montgomery, held concerts and reunions of his Montiacs there several times a year. The BBQ guy is the one who sold her out to Doug Guller. There is no justice. There was no 'long abandoned' town. It was full of life and laughter and beer, and it was Maggie's home.
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