Delta National Bank, Yazoo City, MS (Charter 12587)
Delta National Bank, Yazoo City, MS (Chartered 1924 - Closed (Merger) 1981)
Town History
Yazoo City is the county seat of Yazoo County, Mississippi. It was named after the Yazoo River, which, in turn was named by the French explorer Robert La Salle in 1682 as "Rivière des Yazous" in reference to the Yazoo tribe living near the river. According to the 2010 census, the population was 11,403. The most important industry in 2021 is a group of federal prisons.
The community now known as Yazoo City was founded in 1824 with the name Hannan's Bluff. It was later renamed Manchester, then changed to Yazoo City in 1841. Yazoo City became the county seat in 1849. A yellow fever epidemic struck Yazoo City in 1853.
During the American Civil War, the Confederate ironclad CSS Arkansas was completed at a makeshift shipyard in Yazoo City after the Confederate loss of New Orleans and Memphis. During her short career, the Arkansas challenged the Union navy's control of the Mississippi River and helped avert the early fall of Vicksburg. On May 21, 1863, as a Union fleet steamed up the Yazoo River, the Confederate forces burned down the shipyard to keep their foes from capturing the vessels being built there. The Federal forces then burned down the sawmill and lumberyard before withdrawing. After their capture of Vicksburg in July 1863, another Union raid briefly occupied Yazoo City, but this time the Union ironclad USS Baron DeKalb was sunk by a mine. Federal troops occupied the town in September and again in October 1863. Another occupation resulted in the Battle of Yazoo City on March 5, 1864 between the Union troops and Confederates led by Robert V. Richardson and Lawrence Sullivan Ross. The Union troops held their ground but departed the following day. The Federal forces returned again on May 19, 1864, doing more damage to the town.
Yazoo City was rebuilt, but yellow fever struck and took more victims in 1878. On May 25, 1904, a fire destroyed much of central Yazoo City. The fire quickly spread, and three-fourths of the town was destroyed, including most of the homes. It was stopped by a canal, which saved the new courthouse (built in 1872 to replace the one burned by the Union forces) and 10 antebellum homes nearby.
The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 did much damage to the entire Delta, but Yazoo City was restored and is now protected by an effective flood-prevention system.
A strong tornado, rated EF4 on the Enhanced Fujita scale and with a path width of 1.75 mi, hit Yazoo County on April 24, 2010. Four people were killed in the Yazoo City area, and a number were seriously injured. On November 29, 2010 around 8:05 pm local time, Yazoo City was struck by two EF2 tornadoes: the first one tracked 3 miles southwest of town. The second went right through downtown causing significant damage to several buildings. A high-end EF1 tornado passed through the southeast side of the city on May 2, 2021. Multiple mobile homes were destroyed and trees, power lines, and homes were damaged.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons operates the Federal Correctional Complex, Yazoo City, which consists of FCI Yazoo City Low, FCI Yazoo City Medium, FCI Camp, and FCI USP Yazoo City.
Yazoo City had two National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and both of those banks issued National Bank Notes.
Bank History
- Organized October 6, 1924
- Chartered October 17, 1924
- Conversion of The Delta Bank & Trust Company of Yazoo City
- Bank was Open past 1935
- For Bank History after 1935 see FDIC Bank History website
- Merged into Deposit Guaranty NB in Jackson, MS, July 1, 1981
The Delta Bank and Trust Co. of Yazoo City opened for business March 3, 1904 with capital of $150,000. The President was John Lear; Vice President R.M. Whitehead; Cashier T.F. Davis; Bookkeeper, Fountain Stubblefield; and Messenger Waddell Field.
The Delta Bank and Trust Company's building was among the first buildings on Main Street to succumb to the devouring fire of May 25, 1904. The vaults stood the fire intact and not a piece of paper was scorched. The books and all the papers were saved and John Lear, the bank's president had it opened for business the next morning in the store of Gaddis-Whitehead Co. The fire originated in the residence of Mr. Herman Wise on Mound Street. All four of the banks--the First National, the Bank of Yazoo City, the Commercial State, and the Delta Bank and Trust Co.--survived the fire. Losses at the time were estimated at $2.5-$3 million. The Holmes County Rifles, Company K, First Regiment, Mississippi National Guards were called out and left by special train for Yazoo City. Captain Vernon Moore was in command.
In August 1924, the comptroller of the currency received an application from the Delta Bank and Trust Company of Yazoo City for permission to convert that institution into a national Bank to be known as the Delta National Bank and Trust Company. The bank was chartered October 17, 1924 as The Delta National Bank of Yahoo City, Mississippi.
Officers elected in 1924 were as follows: John Lear, president; J.F. Barbour, vice president; H. Holmes, vice president and cashier; R.J. Coker, J.F. Barbour, A.H. Courts, J.W. Gregory, B.E. Kern, John Learn and H. Holmes, directors. Mr. Lear had been president of the institution since it was first organized and the bank had grown steadily. On November 2, 1924, R.E. Townsed, a highly recommended banker and businessman of Arkansas accepted the position of assistant cashier.
In April 1928, Mr. Herbert Holmes, active vice president of the Delta National Bank, a position to which he had just been promoted as a result of over twenty-one years' active service in the bank. Born and reared in Yazoo City, youngest son of Mr. C.E. Holmes, he was educated in the city schools, and after completing the high school course here, he went to Poughkeepsie, New York, generally regarded as the best business university in the United States, and completed the full commercial course, including banking and accounting. As a young man he decided he wanted to make banking his life work, and thus laid the foundation for success in his chosen profession. He began in the bank as a bookkeeper, and steadily rose through every department until 1917, when he was promoted to the position of cashier, when Mr. T.F. Davis, who had occupied the position of cashier since its organization, went to New Orleans as President of the Federal Land Bank. In 1920 he was given the additional title of vice president and since that time occupied the dual position of vice president and cashier. His counsel and advice were sought and respected, and he was generally regarded as one of Yazoo City's most forward-looking young men. In his new position he will be able to give more time to constructive efforts of expansion in the bank's affairs, leaving much of the detail heretofore looked after by him to the new cashier, F.M. Patty.
Official Bank Title(s)
1: The Delta National Bank of Yazoo City, MS
Bank Note Types Issued
A total of $1,093,320 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1924 and 1981. This consisted of a total of 218,664 notes (107,592 large size and 111,072 small size notes).
This bank issued the following Types and Denominations of bank notes:
Series/Type Sheet/Denoms Serial#s Sheet Comments 1902 Plain Back 4x5 1 - 26898 1929 Type 1 6x5 1 - 13698 1929 Type 2 5 1 - 28884
Bank Presidents and Cashiers
Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1924 - 1981):
Presidents:
Cashiers:
Other Known Bank Note Signers
- No other known bank note signers for this bank
Bank Note History Links
Sources
- Yazoo City, MS, 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
- The Yazoo Herald, Yazoo City, MS, Fri., Mar. 4, 1904.
- The Lexington Advertiser, Lexington, MS, Thu., May 26, 1904.
- The Yazoo Herald, Yazoo City, MS, Fri., Aug. 29, 1924.
- The Yazoo Herald, Yazoo City, MS, Tue., Nov. 4, 1924.
- The Yazoo Herald, Yazoo City, MS, Tue., Feb. 10, 1925.
- The Yazoo Herald, Yazoo City, MS, Tue., Apr. 3, 1928.