American National Bank, Orange, VA (Charter 5532)
American National Bank, Orange, VA (Chartered 1900 - Liquidated 1901)
Town History
Orange is a town and the county seat of Orange County, Virginia. Orange is 28 miles northeast of Charlottesville, 88 miles southwest of Washington, D.C., and 4 miles east of Founding Father and fourth U.S. president James Madison's plantation of Montpelier. The population was 4,880 at the 2020 census. In 1880 the population was 547, growing to 1,381 by 1930.
The present-day Town of Orange was known as the Town of Orange Court House prior to the late 19th century. Following the establishment of Culpeper County from a part of Orange County in 1749, the courthouse was relocated to Orange Court House from elsewhere in the county.
Orange was a strategically important location during the American Civil War. Just north of town, the Rapidan River was effectively the northern border of the Confederacy from March 1862 to May 1864. Consequently, the area witnessed countless troop movements, patrols, skirmishes, and encampments. In addition, the Town of Orange served as General Robert E. Lee's headquarters during that time. General Lee worshipped at the St. Thomas Episcopal Church. This church is also significant as it served as a hospital for Confederate wounded after the Battle of Chancellorsville and the Battle of the Wilderness. Lee passed by this church many times during his stay in Orange. Mort Künstler, an artist of American historical subjects, immortalized this scene in his painting Soldier of Faith. County records dating back to its founding in 1734 were protected by a clerk of court removing them to "a place of safety" as Federal troops were moving through Orange and towards Richmond.
Numerous buildings constructed soon after the Civil War stand in the downtown historic district. Following Virginia's readmission to the Union in 1870, Orange Court House officially became a town in 1872 when the petition (required by the 1855 General Assembly act) for an election of town trustees was filed in the court. The first town council meeting was held on June 28, 1872. In 1890, the village changed its name officially to the current-day Town of Orange.
The economy and population continued to grow up until the time of a fire in 1909, which destroyed most of the eastern portion of town. Like nearby Gordonsville, Orange's importance as a railroad hub began declining in the early 20th century. Because of its location at the confluence of two major roadways and the establishment of the Orange Automobile Club in 1910, the town became a regional center for automobile sales and services. Its accessibility allowed it to maintain a relatively healthy economy through the Great Depression.
A notable company in Orange during that period was American Silk Mills, Inc., which was established in 1929 and processed raw silk into a finished material. During World War II, the mill was awarded a presidential citation for its production of parachutes for Allied troops.
Orange had three National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, the National Bank of Orange (Charter 5438), the American National Bank (Charter 5532), and the Citizens National Bank, (Charter 7150), and all three of those banks issued National Bank Notes.
Bank History
- Organized June 23, 1900
- Chartered August 10, 1900
- Liquidated January 8, 1901
The American National Bank of Orange, Virginia, planned to open for business July 2d. The bank was organized by Messrs. J.W., Jr., and J.N. Lockwood of Richmond with a capital of $25,000, most of the money and capital being raised in that county.[1] In September Mr. J.W. Lockwood, Jr., was in Richmond on business. He said his bank opened up under favorable auspices on September 1st and that he was of opinion that it would prove a great success. Mr. Lockwood was warm in his praise of Orange and her people and expressed himself as highly pleased with his new home. He said a Board of Trade had just been organized and the town was "forging right ahead."[2]
On Tuesday, January 8, 1901, at a meeting of the stockholders of the American National Bank of Orange, it was unanimously decided to convert the bank into a state bank known as the American Bank of Orange. Since a national bank could not loan money on real estate, the move was to better accommodate the people by procuring a state charter.[3] On the morning of December 5, 1901, the American National Bank building at Orange was badly damaged by fire. Mr. Chewning, a merchant who occupied part of the building, had his stock of goods almost ruined.[4]
Official Bank Title
1: The American National Bank of Orange, VA
Bank Note Types Issued
A total of $25,500 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1900 and 1901. This consisted of a total of 3,036 notes (3,036 large size and No small size notes).
This bank issued the following Types and Denominations of bank notes:
Series/Type Sheet/Denoms Serial#s Sheet Comments 1882 Brown Back 4x5 1 - 415 1882 Brown Back 3x10-20 1 - 344
Bank Presidents and Cashiers
Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1900 - 1901):
Presidents:
Cashiers:
Other Known Bank Note Signers
- No other known bank note signers for this bank
Bank Note History Links
Sources
- Orange, VA, on Wikipedia
- Don C. Kelly, National Bank Notes, A Guide with Prices. 6th Edition (Oxford, OH: The Paper Money Institute, 2008).
- Dean Oakes and John Hickman, Standard Catalog of National Bank Notes. 2nd Edition (Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 1990).
- Banks & Bankers Historical Database (1782-1935), https://spmc.org/bank-note-history-project