WASHINGTON — Fort Worth, long known by its boosters as the land of cowboys and culture, may want to add another alliterative word to its tourist attractions: cash.
Recent rumblings on Capitol Hill about making some changes to U.S. currency may spike interest in the money-maker known as the Bureau of Engraving and Printing’s Western Currency Facility, which is about 14 miles north of downtown on Blue Mound Road off Interstate 35.
The federal government’s money factory in the city has been a middling tourist draw for school groups — and, more recently, gamblers heading to Oklahoma casinos — for its free tours and awe factor inspired by sheets of money rolling off the production line.
Around half of the nation’s notes are printed in Fort Worth. The country’s only other money factory is in the nation’s capital.
What’s up with the money?
Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Flower Mound, introduced legislation to put President Donald Trump on the $100 bill.
“There has been no one who has done more to bring America into the golden age than President Trump,” Gill said. “Featuring him on the $100 bill is a small way to honor all he will accomplish these next four years.”
Doing that, however, requires a change in the law that prohibits a living person from being on U.S. currency.
Additionally, it would mean displacing beloved founding father Benjamin Franklin who is so identified with the $100 note that the bills are known as “Benjamins.”
Another piece of legislation also calls for putting Trump on a different bill. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-South Carolina, proposed featuring Trump on a newly created $250 denomination that is tied to the nation’s 250th birthday celebration in 2026.
“President Trump is working tirelessly to fight inflation and help American families,” Wilson said. “This achievement is deserving of currency recognition, which is why I am grateful to introduce this legislation. The most valuable bill for the most valuable president.”
Congress has been resistant to changing the faces on America’s money. An effort to honor freedom fighter Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill — replacing President Andrew Jackson, a slave owner — faltered during the Obama administration.
What could all this mean for Cowtown?
Steve Montgomery, president and CEO of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, keeps a bag filled with $750 of shredded discontinued bills that he was given during a tour of the money printing plant.
Each bill made at the plant features the letters “FW” in small print on the bottom right of the note before the plate serial number — a sign it was printed in Fort Worth.
“It’s great bragging rights for Fort Worth,” Montgomery said. “The coolest thing is we have our name on bills that go all over the country and all over the world. That’s great pride.”
Montgomery is a big booster of the facility and any hook that might bring in more tourists.
“I’d love for people to come to Fort Worth,” he said. “It’s a great attraction to have right in our backyard.”
The visitor center opened in 2004 — the plant was inaugurated in 1991 — and offers self-guided tours and a gift shop.
In 2024, 60,224 visitors toured the plant, Bureau of Engraving and Printing spokesperson Ellen Villeneuve said.
“We’re still trying to catch up from the pandemic,” she said.
In 2016, the printer had 86,770 visitors. The facility was closed to tours from March 2020 to June 2023.
Fort Worth’s Stockyards, by comparison, had 9 million visitors in 2024.
“Our main attraction is the Stockyards,” said Estela Martinez-Stuart, director of leisure sales and Hispanic partnerships at Visit Fort Worth, the city’s tourist agency. “The bureau is more of a complementary activity. We don’t see people coming to the bureau specifically.”
It has its niche appeal.
A sold-out tour group from Oklahoma City boarded the Heartland Flyer train for a two-day visit in mid-June. Their first stop in Fort Worth? The money factory.
“They all love to go to the Bureau of Engraving,” said Suzy Ames, co-owner of Oklahoma City-based ReCreation Adventure Tours. “They all want to have souvenirs.”
The main souvenirs are sheets of money. Also popular are the Lucky Money products. They feature a $1 bill with three 7s at the beginning of the serial number set in a plastic sleeve and a $2 bill with four 8s at the start of the serial number and a sleeve decorated with pandas called the Lucky Panda note.
Placing the current president on currency could have two effects, former Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price said.
“It would probably increase tourism and probably increase protests,” she said. “I think people would be excited. Texas is clearly Trump country. There’s a lot of tourism out there.”
As for the proposed money changes, the bills by Wilson and Gill were sent to the House Committee on Financial Services in February and March.
The committee has not taken action on either.
History of Fort Worth’s money factory
1980s: During President Ronald Reagan’s administration, federal officials sought to protect the nation’s currency in case of disaster. They wanted to add a second money-printing site beyond Washington, D.C., to ensure the Western U.S. could get cash faster.
Texas lawmakers led by U.S. Rep. Jim Wright, D-Fort Worth, who served as speaker from 1987 to 1989, campaigned for the selection of Fort Worth, promoting the advantages of being by Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.
1987: Fort Worth is selected over more than 75 cities and donates 100 acres for the facility. Construction began.
1990: Currency production begins in December.
1991: The facility formally dedicated on April 26.
1994: Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen, a former U.S. senator who represented Texas, travels to Fort Worth on April 7 to unveil currency with his signature. “It may be great to be secretary but let me tell you, there’s one perk I don’t get — I don’t get any free samples,” he said at the ceremony.
2004: Visitor Center opens. The facility hosts visitors, including school groups, for free self-guided tours and includes a film and exhibits of currency production and a gift shop.
Maria Recio is a freelance reporter based in Washington, D.C.
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