Branch Highlight - Bazine, KS

About The Branch

The Bazine Branch and its employees are community minded, supporting our area schools, various community groups and many fundraising events. We may be a small branch, but have big hearts for our community.

The branch has done fundraisers for Western Plains South for school supplies and donated hats and mittens to all the area schools. The employees have a bake sale, on two consecutive Fridays, to raise money to support the Ness County Relay For Life annual event. The branch is a drop off point for the annual Ness City Rotary food drive in November.

The bank is an Angel Tree donation point each year for the community to select an angel for Christmas to make sure that children have a Christmas gift under their tree. The employees also select an angel or two and donate to the event personally. The branch has selected 5 angels, for the last few years, purchased gifts and donated them to the worthwhile event. We make sure all of the angels on our tree are taken care of!

About Our Community

Bazine was mentioned first in 1872, from some US Engineers with troops on a scout from Hays to Dodge City. B.F. Garrett and Joseph Clason families began building their homes in 1874, which became the earliest community in Ness County. The first post office was opened on June 22, 1874 by Sam Repine and called Bazaine. It was believed that John Farnsworth gave the office this name to honor French General Baziane, a French general of the Franco-German War of 1870. The Post Office Department was blamed for losing the “a” out of the latter part of the name. John Farnsworth was the very first person to put a claim on government land, a quarter section on the east side of Bazine (currently owned by Phyllis Schniepp.) The center of Bazine was moved twice before it stayed where it is today.

The Bazine State Bank was established July 1909 with 100 shares of stock pledged and sold for $100 per share. The bank was chartered with a capital of $10,000. In 1912, plans were made to build a bigger and more convenient vault and bank. This building was occupied until the 1970s when the current location was built. The Bazine State Bank made an application to FDIC to become an insured bank in April 1938, which would cover all deposits up to $10,000.  On April 13, 1990, the Bazine State Bank was purchased and opened back up as Farmers Bank & Trust with a lengthy history (83 years at the time) of strength and stability.