Citizens National Bank, Washington, GA (Charter 8894)

1902 Plain Back $10 bank note with a pen signature of Sarah H. McMekin, Assistant Cashier. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

Citizens National Bank, Washington, GA (Chartered 1907 - Liquidated 1926)

Town History

Washington is the county seat of Wilkes County, Georgia. It is located about 50 miles west of Augusta and 13 miles south of Tignall, Georgia. In 1900 the population was 3,300, growing to 4,208 by 1920. Under its original name, Heard's Fort, it was for a brief time during the American Revolutionary War the Georgia state capital. It is noteworthy as the place where the Confederacy voted to dissolve itself, effectively ending the American Civil War.

Heard's Fort was established in 1774 by colonist Stephen Heard. The settlement served as the temporary capital of the new state of Georgia from February 3, 1780, until early 1781. The Battle of Kettle Creek, one of the most important battles of the American Revolutionary War to be fought in Georgia, was fought on February 14, 1779, in Wilkes County, about eleven miles from present-day Washington.

One of Washington's most lingering mysteries is that of the lost Confederate gold. As the last recorded location of the remaining Confederate gold, the Washington area is thought to be the site where it is buried. Worth roughly $100,000 when it disappeared in 1865, at 2016 prices its value would be around $3.6 million. The cable television channel A&E produced a documentary focusing on this legend.

Washington had two National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and both of those banks issued National Bank Notes.

Bank History

• Organized Sep 10, 1907
• Chartered Sep 26, 1907
• Opened for business Dec 4, 1907
• Liquidated Jan 23, 1926
• Absorbed by 8848 (National Bank of Wilkes, Washington, GA)

In September 1907, announcement was made that the Citizens National Bank with paid-in capital of $50,000 would be quartered in the Green Block. Representative Richard Oliver Barksdale and J.S. Crouch had been the leading promoters of the new enterprise, holding the positions of president and vice president respectively of the institution. Its directorate was composed of the following well-known businessmen of the city and county which it would serve: R.O. Barksdale, J.S. Crouch, H.B. Pope, C.E. Irvin, E.A. Barnett, W.J. Adams, and Garnett Green. The other officers of the bank would not be named until the organization had been completed.

In December 1907, the Citizens National Bank, Washington's fourth bank, opened its doors to the public with Honorable R.O. Barksdale, president; A.S. Crouch, vice president; and Alexander Irvin, cashier. The new institution was located in an elegantly appointed office in the Coxart Building. During the recent financial panic, three Washington banks never suspended the payment of cash for the large quantity of cotton bought in this market each season. With the $20,000 of new national bank currency which the Citizens National Bank would circulate, augmented with a similar amount issued a few weeks earlier by the National Bank of Wilkes, Washington and Wilkes County would be fully supplied with ready money.

In March 1910, at a meeting of the shareholders of the Citizens National Bank, the capital stock of Washington's youngest financial institution was increased from $50,000 to $100,000. The officers of the bank were R.O. Barksdale, president; J.S. Crouch, vice president; and Alexander Irvin, cashier.

In January 1923, the report for the Citizens National Bank showed an increase in deposits of several thousand dollars. The officers elected were E.A. Barnett, president; G.A. Green, vice president; C.B. Golsan of Atlanta, cashier; and George W. Mulligan, assistant cashier.

On Tuesday, January 13, 1925, two local national banks held their annual meetings, reviewed the work of 1924, and elected officers and directors for the current year. The stockholders of the Citizens National Bank re-elected the following as members of the board of directors: E.A. Barnett, G.A. Green, T.W. Miller, C.H. Orr, M.H. Barnett, R.R. Johnson and I.T. Irvin, Jr., who, in turn, elected E.A. Barnett, president; G.A. Green, vice president; C.B. Golsan, cashier; Sarah McMekin, assistant cashier. Earnings of 8 per cent on a capitalization of $75,000 were reported. At the annual meeting of the shareholders of the National Bank of Wilkes it was shown that 29% was the net operating income before dividends and depreciation. A 12% dividend was paid during the year, an unbroken record for twenty-one years. The officers named ace J. A. Moss. president; Boyce Ficklen, Sr., vice president; F.H. Ficklen, cashier; Boyce Ficklen, Jr., G.F. Armstrong and Miss S.R. Hill, assistant cashiers. The new board of directors was composed of W.L. Johnson, J.A. Moss, J.M. Pitner, Boyce Ficklen, Sr., and F.H. Ficklen.

On Tuesday, January 26, 1926, an agreement was reached whereby the Citizens National Bank of Washington was sold to the National Bank of Wilkes, the latter bank assuming the liabilities of the Citizens bank. All business of the two banks would be transacted in the future at the banking quarters of the National Bank of Wilkes which had long been recognized as one of the strongest and most progressive banks in Georgia. The National Bank of Wilkes was capitalized at $50,000 with a surplus of $115,000 and deposits of $700,000. Officers of the bank were J.A. Moss, president; Boyce Ficklen, Sr., vice president; F.H. Ficklen, cashier. The directors were J.A. Moss, Boyce Ficklen, Sr., J.M. Pitner, F.H. Ficklen, W.L. Johnson, and W.L. Sutton.

Official Bank Title

1: The Citizens National Bank of Washington, GA

Bank Note Types Issued

A total of $737,200 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1907 and 1926. This consisted of a total of 73,720 notes (73,720 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
1902 Red Seal	4x10	1 - 1875
1902 Date Back	4x10	1 - 6425
1902 Plain Back	4x10	6426 - 16555

Bank Presidents and Cashiers

Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1907 - 1926):

Presidents:

• Richard Oliver Barksdale, 1908-1921
• Edward Augustus Barnett, 1922-1926

Cashiers:

• Alexander Atkinson "Lex" Irwin, 1908-1918
• Captain Marion Hill Barnett, 1919-1921
• Ceph Bell Golsan, 1922-1926

Other Known Bank Note Signers

• Sarah Howard McMekin (Asst Cashier 1925...1926)

Bank Note History Links

• Citizens National Bank, Washington, GA History (NB Lookup)
• Georgia Bank Note History (BNH Wiki)

Sources

• Washington, GA, 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