First NB of Du Bois City, Du Bois, PA (Charter 2969)
First NB of Du Bois City, Du Bois, PA (Chartered 1883 - Liquidated 1889)
Town History
DuBois (/ˈduːbɔɪz/ DOO-boyss) is a city and the most populous community in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania. DuBois is located about 100 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. The population was 7,794 at the 2010 census. DuBois along with State College make up the larger State College-DuBois, PA Combined Statistical Area.
Settled in 1812 and platted in 1872, DuBois was incorporated as a borough in 1881 and as a city in 1914. The town was founded by John Rumbarger, for whom the town was originally named. The Rumbarger Cemetery is all that survives of John Rumbarger's "original settlement" in the city of DuBois. The town was later renamed for local lumber magnate John DuBois, who came from a longstanding American family of French Huguenot descent. Many of the town's original buildings and homes were funded and or donated by Mr. DuBois's lumber mill. In 1938, his nephew, John E. DuBois, donated the family mansion and estate as a permanent home for the DuBois Campus of Penn State University. While DuBois was founded as a lumber town, the mining of bituminous coal quickly became the chief industry in DuBois.
In 1888, DuBois was a town of 7,000 people and was largely built of wood, although many brick buildings were interspersed among the more inflammable structures. On June 18, 1888, fire brook out at 1 o'clock in the Baker House on railroad Avenue in the center of town and owing to the high wind, it could not be contained. Fire destroyed an area a mile long by almost half a mile wide, extending from the Rochester collieries store to the Terpe House and to the extreme end of Long Street on the east side of town. Over 3,000 people were homeless and destitute.
Du Bois had three National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and all three of those banks issued National Bank Notes.
Bank History
- Organized May 28, 1883
- Chartered Jun 6, 1883
- Liquidated Apr 8, 1889
- Succeeded by Bank of Du Bois
On December 18, 1884, at the suburban residence of Hon. James E. Long, South Brookville, his only daughter Miss Mamie (Meriba Long) married Mr. Malcolm W. Wise, cashier of the First National Bank of Du Bois. The long awaited event was witnessed by a very large and happy gathering of friends and acquaintances numbering about 130. Miss Anna Davis of Blairsville and Miss Ada Dickey of Brookville acted as bridesmaids, and Messrs. G.B. Garrison of Pittsburgh and Benton Long, brother of the bride, as groomsmen. Rev. R.W. Schofield, pastor of the Brookville Methodist Episcopal Church performed the ceremony after which a feast was indulged in. The bride was the recipient of many handsome and valuable presents, among them a handsome residence in Du Bois from Mr. and Mrs. Long. James E. Long was a Pennsylvania Congressman, elected as a Republican for the 1881 term. In 1884 he ran an unsuccessful campaign for Pennsylvania State Senate.
DuBois Depot, PA. June 18, 1888, fire brook out at 1 o'clock in the Baker House on railroad Avenue in the center of town and owing to the high wind, it could not be contained. About 3/4's of the town was destoyed and over 3,000 people were homeless and destitute. Only two stores were left--the property of John E. DuBois and Bell, Lewis & Yates. Out of 17 hotels, three remained. Loss to the First National Bank was estimated at $3,500 if the vault withstood the fire. The Dubois Deposit Bank's losses also depended on the condition of the safe.
Frederick K. Arnold, well known to the business men of the east end of Jefferson County, died at his home in Reynoldsville on Monday morning, April 19, 1897. He had been in failing health for several years, and his decease was not unexpected. In 1837 he removed with his father's family from York County to Clearfield County where they settled near Luthersburg. He married Elizabeth Goodlander in 1849. A year or two before his marriage he opened a store in Luthersburg, and five or six years later opened a bank there in partnership with John Patton and his brother Samuel Arnold. Two years after this he moved to Reynoldsville (in 1873) starting the first bank there, continuing with it until 1883, when he and others organized the First National Bank of DuBois. He was made president and remained such until 1887 when he retired from active business.
Official Bank Title(s)
1: The First National Bank of Du Bois City, Du Bois, PA
Bank Note Types Issued
A total of $52,560 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1883 and 1889. This consisted of a total of 10,512 notes (10,512 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 - 2628
Bank Presidents and Cashiers
Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1883 - 1889):
Presidents:
Cashiers:
Other Bank Note Signers
- There are currently no known Vice President or Assistant Cashier bank note signers for this bank.
Wiki Links
- Pennsylvania Bank Note History
- General information on Du Bois (Wikipedia)
- General information on Clearfield County (Wikipedia)
- General information on Pennsylvania (Wikipedia)
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh, PA, Fri., Dec. 19, 1884.
- The Jeffersonian-Democrat, Brookville, PA, Thu., Apr. 22, 1897.
Sources
- Du Bois, PA, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Du_Bois,_Pennsylvania
- 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
- Pittsburgh Daily Post, Pittsburgh, PA, Tue. June 19, 1888.
- Butler Citizen, Butler, PA, Fri., June 22, 1888.