Amoskeag National Bank, Manchester, NH (Charter 574)

Postcard of the Amoskeag Bank Building, Manchester, New Hampshire, ca1910. Courtesy of Adam Stroup

Amoskeag National Bank, Manchester, NH (Chartered 1864 - Closed (Merger) 1986)

Town History

Amoskeag Bank Obsolete $2 bank note dated Aug. 1st, 1860, with pen signatures of Moody Currier, Cashier and an Unknown President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

Manchester is a city in southern New Hampshire, United States. It is the most populous city in northern New England (an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont). As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 115,644. In 1860 the population was 20,107 increasing to 56,987 by 1900.

Manchester is, along with Nashua, one of two seats of New Hampshire's most populous county, Hillsborough County. Manchester straddles the banks of the Merrimack River. It was first named by the merchant and inventor Samuel Blodgett, namesake of Samuel Blodget Park and Blodget Street in the city's North End. His vision was to create a great industrial center similar to that of the original Manchester in England, which was the world's first industrialized city.

Downtown Manchester's One City Hall Plaza stands 22 stories high, quickly followed by the all-black, 20-story Brady Sullivan Plaza, formerly known as the Hampshire Plaza. They are the tallest New England buildings north of Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Sullivan Plaza is shorter than City Hall Plaza by a mere 16 feet. Other major buildings include the 18-story Wall Street Apartments tower; the 14-story, recently renamed Brady Sullivan Tower, which was the former New Hampshire Insurance building; the 12-story DoubleTree Hotel and Convention Center Manchester, the Carpenter Center (a former hotel), and the Hampshire Towers condominium building; and the 10-story Citizens Bank Building, which was, for much of the early- and mid-20th century, Manchester's iconic Amoskeag Bank "skyscraper."

Manchester had six National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and all six of those banks issued National Bank Notes.

Bank History

Organized October 31, 1864
Chartered November 17, 1864
Succeeded Amoskeag Bank
2: Assumed 2362 by consolidation February 11, 1911 (Second National Bank, Manchester, NH)
Bank was Open past 1935
For Bank History after 1935 see FDIC Bank History website
Merged into Amoskeag Savings Bank in Manchester, NH, March 1, 1986

In July 1850, the New Hampshire Legislature increased the banking capital of the state by $390,000 as follows: Six new bank created were Carroll County Bank, at Sandwich; Pittsfield Bank, at Pittsfield; Warner Bank, at Warner; Monadnock Bank, at Jaffrey; Ammonoosuc Bank, at Bath; White Mountain Bank, at Lancaster--capital $50,000 each. The Amoskeag Bank, Manchester, capital was increased $50,000, present capital of $100,000, and $40,000 to Claremont Bank, Claremont, present capital $60,000.

The New Hampshire Legislature met on Wednesday, June 3, 1857, and the State government, which was Republican in all its departments, was organized. Moody Currier of Manchester was chosen President of the Senate, and E.H. Rollins of Concord, Speaker of the House.

In December 1864, Moody Currier was president and George B. Chandler was cashier of the new Amoskeag National Bank of Manchester. Its capital was $150,000.

On October 20, 1900, Henry Chandler, prominent in New Hampshire banking circles, and one of the foremost citizens of Manchester, died at his residence at the north end of Manchester after an illness of but a few days. In 1879 he entertd the Amoskeag Savings Bank and was made treasurer of this institution in 1884, a position which he retained to his death. He also held a directorship in the Amoskeag National Bank and was the oldest director in terms of service concerned with the institution. His brothers was Hon. George H. Chandler, president of the Amoskeag National Bank and John M. Chandler, cashier of the same institution.

On January 10, 1911, an announcement was made that arrangements had been perfected for a consolidation of the Second National Bank of Manchester with the Amoskeag National Bank. In accordance with this plan the business of the former bank was transferred to the Amoskeag bank and the directors of the two banks were made directors in the consolidated bank. The employees of the Second National bank were retained by the Amoskeag. The Amoskeag bank before the consolidation had deposits of more than $2,000,000 and a surplus of more than $500,000. The Second National had a surplus of $85,000. The consolidated board of directors included Walter G. Africa, Henry E. Burnham, Frank P. Carpenter, Josiah Carpenter, Robert J. Peaslee, George H. Chandler, George P. Crafts, Arthur M. Heard, Herman F. Strew, Roger G. Sullivan, Thomas R. Varick, Willis B. Kendell, Aretas B. Carpenter, and Lewis H. Josselyn.

Official Bank Title(s)

1: The Amoskeag National Bank, Manchester, NH

2: The Amoskeag National Bank of (11/1/1904), Manchester, NH

Bank Note Types Issued

1882 Brown Back $5 Proof, ABCD Plate, with the first title, approved September 29, 1884. Courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution Archives

1902 Red Seal $20 bank note with pen signature of Willis B. Kendall, Cashier and stamped signature of A.M. Heard, President. Courtesy of Lyn Knight Auctions, www.lynknight.com

1929 Type 1 $20 bank note with printed signatures of H.E. Straw, Cashier and A.M. Heard, President. Courtesy of Lyn Knight Auctions, www.lynknight.com

A total of $4,507,380 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1864 and 1986. This consisted of a total of 445,541 notes (378,468 large size and 67,073 small size notes).

This bank issued the following Types and Denominations of bank notes:

Series/Type	Sheet/Denoms	Serial#s	Sheet Comments
1: Original Series	3x1-2	1 - 2200
1: Original Series	4x5	1 - 3700
1: Original Series	3x10-20	1 - 4100
1: Original Series	50-100	1 - 300
1: Series 1875	3x1-2	1 - 700
1: Series 1875	4x5	1 - 5950
1: Series 1875	3x10-20	1 - 2124
1: 1882 Brown Back	4x5	1 - 14000
1: 1882 Brown Back	3x10-20	1 - 4974
2: 1902 Red Seal	3x10-20	1 - 8900
2: 1902 Date Back	3x10-20	1 - 17300
2: 1902 Plain Back	3x10-20	17301 - 47819
2: 1929 Type 1	6x5	1 - 2486
2: 1929 Type 1	6x10	1 - 4224
2: 1929 Type 1	6x20	1 - 938
2: 1929 Type 2	5	1 - 14680
2: 1929 Type 2	10	1 - 6505

Bank Presidents and Cashiers

Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1864 - 1986):

Presidents:

Cashiers:

Other Known Bank Note Signers

No other known bank note signers for this bank

Bank Note History Links

Sources

Manchester, NH, 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
Daily Evening Transcript, Boston, MA, Mon. July 15, 1850.
New England Farmer, Boston, MA, Sat., June 6, 1857.
Vermont Journal, Windsor, VT, Sat., Dec. 3, 1864.
The Boston Globe, Boston, MA, Sat., Oct. 20, 1900.
The Boston Globe, Boston, MA, Tue., Jan. 10, 1911.