First National Bank, Dallas, PA (Charter 8164)

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Bank built in 1906 by the First National Bank of Dallas, Pennsylvania.[1]

First National Bank, Dallas, PA (Chartered 1906 - Open past 1935)

Town History

1932 home of the First National Bank of Dallas, Pennsylvania.[2]

Dallas is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. The local government describes the borough as the "Pride" of the Back Mountain (a 118 square mile region in northern Luzerne County). The area includes the townships of Dallas, Franklin, Jackson, Kingston, Lake, and Lehman. The region also includes the boroughs of Dallas and Harveys Lake. Dallas is in the vicinity of Misericordia University and Dallas State Correctional Institution which holds 2,150 inmates. The population was 2,692 at the 2020 census. In 1910 the population was 576, growing to 1,188 by 1930.

Dallas was first settled in 1797. It was later incorporated as a borough on April 21, 1879, from land entirely within Dallas Township. The township had been formed in 1817 and was named for Alexander J. Dallas, who was the 6th United States Secretary of the Treasury and the father of George M. Dallas, the vice president of James Polk.

Dallas had one National Bank chartered during the Bank Note Era, and it issued National Bank Notes.

Bank History

The old First National Bank of Dallas, ca2023. Courtesy of Google Maps
  • Organized February 17, 1906
  • Chartered April 10, 1906
  • Opened for business August 27, 1906
  • Bank was Open past 1935
  • Merged with 13852 (Miners National Bank of Wilkes-Barre, PA) in April 1953
The need for a banking institution for Dallas and the surrounding country was felt for many years, but it was not until 1906 that a meeting was held at Raub's Hotel in Dallas attended by B.W. Brickel, Franklin Leavenworth, Phillip T. Raub, John J. Ryman and George R. Wright, at which time it was decided that a bank for Dallas was both essential and feasible.  Stock subscriptions were secured and architect Thomas Podmore of Wilkes-Barre was directed to prepare plans for a bank building and the contract for its erection was let to Reese D. Isaacs & Son.  Ground was broken on April 11, 1906 and it opened for business on Monday, August 27, 1906.  On the opening days, 55 depositors opened accounts and deposited a total of $14,065.50. The cost of the bank was as follows:  Lot, $1,000; building, $9,452.99; equipment, $3,059.48; total, $13,512.47.[3]

On April 10, 1906, a certificate was issued authorizing the First National Bank of Dallas to begin business with capital of $25,000.[4] The bank purchased the property of George R. Wright in Dallas which it planned to occupy as a banking house. Mr. Wright was president of the new bank and Frank Leavenworth was the cashier.[5]

On Friday, August 24, 1906, the handsome new First National Bank building opened for the inspection of visitors. Monday was slated for the start of business. The building was two-stories high and 28X55 feet in ground space, having a front of Indiana limestone and native red rock. The directors' and cashier's rooms were finished in quartered oak. A Stiffel and Freeman vault, equipped with double steel doors and a combination of brick and concrete walls, held a Victor screw door safe of spherical form set with a time lock. The furniture and wainscoting were of quartered oak while the walls were of a rough finish with steel ceiling. The public floor was tiled and the front was set with chipped plate glass. The directors were B.W. Brickel, Reese D. Isaacs, Henry M. Laning, Phillip T. Raub, John J. Ryman, Geo. R. Wright, and Franklin Leavenworth.[6]

In October 1908, the board of directors consisted of the original board with one or two exceptions. The directors were Jesse Albertson, Reese D. Isaacs, Franklin Leavenworth, Henry L. Lee, Phillip T. Raub, John J. Ryman and George R. Wright. Mr. Wright was president, Reese D. Isaacs, vice president; Mr. Leavenworth, cashier; and Ralph H. Rood, teller. The bank's most recent statement showed total resources of $116,597.52 with capital stock $25,000, surplus $6,250, undivided profits, $521.70, circulation $6,250, deposits $78,174.42.[7]

On Tuesday, January 12, 1932, the stockholders retained these directors: R.L. Brickel, C.A. Frantz, D.P. Honeywell, W.B. Jeter, Sterling Machell, W.R. Neeley, Clifford W. Space, A.C. Devens, and George R. Wright. The officers re-elected were George R. Wright, president; D.P. Honeywell, first vice president; C.A. Frantz, second vice president; and W.B. Jeter, cashier.[8] Saturday, January 23, 1932, marked the formal opening of the new bank building. The new bank building showed a modern trend in bank architecture using traditional fundamental principles of design expressed in the free spirit evident in the newer metropolitan financial buildings. There was none of the old classic severity. Charming proportions and energetic atmosphere were evident throughout. The structure was designed, erected, decorated and furnished by Tilgham Moyer Company of Allentown, an organization of architects and engineer who for many years had devoted all their attention to bank and office buildings. The building had a frontage of 31 feet and was 66 feet long. From the sidewalk one entered through a marble wainscoted vestibule directly into the spacious public lobby. The ladies retiring room was at the far end of the lobby. The open and private offices were at the right of the lobby immediately upon entering, and behind them was the space used by the working force. At the rear were located the vault, safe deposit department, the book vault, comfort rooms, and the stairway to the rear mezzanine and basement. On this rear mezzanine were located the directors’ room and storage room. The public lobby Is flanked by a banking screen of fine cabinet work constructed of specially selected oak finished antique silvery gray and embellished with wickets of cast and extruded bronze, which contrasted with the polished plate glass of the screen. The floor of the public lobby was of marble chips polished in cement matrix, a type of floor which has the practical advantage of durability and cleanliness, and was pleasing in the harmonious blending of its colors with the other decorative materials in the room.[9] 

On Saturday, October 1, 1932, Attorney George R. Wright, prominent local banker and lawyer, died from a heart condition at the family home, 138 South River Street, Wilkes-Barre. Had he lived, Mr. Wright would have been 81 years of age on November 21st. He was born in Wilkes-Barre in 1851, the son of Attorney Henry B. and Mary Ann (Robinson) Wright. He received his early schooling in the private schools of Wilkes-Barre and later graduated with honors with the class of 1873 at Princeton. He studied law in the office of his father and two years following his graduation he was admitted to the bar. Retiring from the practice of law in his later years, Mr. Wright devoted his entire time to his business interests. He organized the First National Bank of Dallas in 1906 and served as president of that institution from then until the time of his death. In spite of his advanced age, he took active interest in the affairs of the bank and was there each morning and remained until closing time each day up until the time he was taken ill. He served several years as president of Wilkes-Barre Water Company of which concern he was a director for twelve years. He also was a director in Wilkes-Barre Electric Light Company for many years. He served six years as president of the United Charities of Wilkes-Barre and for many years he was actively engaged in philanthropic and civic work in the Valley. Born in Plymouth, in 1803, his father was one of the most prominent men in the county for many years. He was a Democrat and was active in municipal, county and national politics serving as a U.S. Congressman on three separate occasions. Deceased also was a Democrat throughout his life although he never aspired for political office. He was interested in sports and as president of the Wilkes-Barre Baseball Club,[10] he brought the first professional baseball team to Wilkes-Barre. He was a lifelong member of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church and was affiliated with the following organizations: Westmoreland club, Sons of the American Revolution, Society of the War of 1812, Wyoming Historical and Geological Society, Princeton Club of New York, University Club of New York, American Bar Association, Pennsylvania State Bar Association, and Luzerne County Bar Association. He was unmarried and his only survivors were a niece and a grandniece.[11]

On April 6, 1951, in a combined move to meet the greater financial needs of the fast growing Back Mountain region, Frank W. Anderson, president of the Miners National Bank of Wilkes-Barre and W.B. Jeter, president of First National Bank of Dallas, jointly announced the two banking institutions would join forces. Combined resources of the two banks would exceed $48.5 million to make the Miners Bank the second largest in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Additional services to the Dallas area included a trust department, foreign department and travel department, heretofore unavailable to the Back Mountain customers. The original Miners Savings Bank of Wilkes-Barre received its charter on February 13, 1868 and after merging with several other banks over the years, came to be known in 1912 as the Miners Bank of Wilkes-Barre. In 1913, the Miners National Bank building was erected at West Market and Franklin Streets.[12] On Wednesday, April 25th, the proposed merger hit a snag when shareholders of the Back Mountain financial institution decided to "table indefinitely" the proposal to consolidate the banks.[13]

In January 1952, at the annual meeting of the stockholders, directors declared a semi-annual dividend of 50 cents per share plus an extra 50 cents per share as of December 15th. Officers of the bank were W.B. Jeter, president; A.C. Devens and R.L. Brickel, vice presidents; Frederick J. Eck, cashier. The directors were R.L. Brickel, A.C. Devens, Frederick J. Eck, H.H. Hill, W.B. Jeter, Clifford W. Space, and H.L. Titman.[14]

On Monday, April 20, 1953, approval of a merger agreement with the Miners National Bank of Wilkes-Barre was voted unanimously by shareholders of the First National Bank of Dallas. The action climaxed two years of negotiations between the two institutions and followed the boards' action on March 31st recommending the merger. W.B. Jeter, president of the Dallas bank would be designated a vice president of Miners National Bank and Frederick Eck would be made assistant vice president of that institution. The comptroller of the currency had agreed to the consolidation pending approval of the Dallas bank's stockholders. Statements of the two banks as of December 31, 1952 showed Miners with assets of $64,050,763 and deposits $55,496,174; Dallas with assets of $4,122.000 and deposits $3,695,000.[15]

Official Bank Title

1: The First National Bank of Dallas, PA

Bank Note Types Issued

1902 Plain Back $10 bank note with stamped signatures of W.B. Jeter, Cashier and George R. Wright, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com
1929 Type 1 $10 bank note with SN 1 and printed signatures of W.B. Jeter, Cashier and George R. Wright, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com
1929 Type 2 $5 bank note with printed signatures of W.B. Jeter, Cashier and C.A. Frantz, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

A total of $247,770 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1906 and 1935. This consisted of a total of 26,448 notes (8,844 large size and 17,604 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 3x10-20 1 - 280
1902 Date Back 3x10-20 1 - 780
1902 DB/PB 3x10-20 781 - 840 Type uncertain
1902 Plain Back 3x10-20 841 - 1931
1929 Type 1 6x10 1 - 316
1929 Type 1 6x20 1 - 106
1929 Type 2 5 1 - 10908
1929 Type 2 10 1 - 3228
1929 Type 2 20 1 - 936

Bank Presidents and Cashiers

Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1906 - 1935):

Presidents:

Cashiers:

Other Known Bank Note Signers

  • No other known bank note signers for this bank

Bank Note History Links

Sources

  • Dallas, PA, 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
  1. ↑ Wilkes-Barre Semi-Weekly Record, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Fri., Oct. 9, 1908.
  2. ↑ The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Sat., Jan. 23, 1932.
  3. ↑ Wilkes-Barre Semi-Weekly Record, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Fri., Oct. 9, 1908.
  4. ↑ The Pittsburgh Post, Pittsburgh, PA, Fri., Apr. 13, 1906.
  5. ↑ Pittston Gazette, Pittston, PA, Tue., May 1, 1906.
  6. ↑ Wilkes-Barre Times, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Sat., Aug. 25, 1906.
  7. ↑ Wilkes-Barre Semi-Weekly Record, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Fri., Oct. 9, 1908.
  8. ↑ Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Tue., Jan. 12, 1932.
  9. ↑ Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Fri., Jan. 22, 1932.
  10. ↑ Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Tue., Feb. 21, 1888.
  11. ↑ Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, the Evening News, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Mon., Oct. 3, 1932.
  12. ↑ The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Sat., Apr. 7, 1951.
  13. ↑ The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Sat., Apr. 28, 1951.
  14. ↑ The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Tue., Jan. 8, 1952.
  15. ↑ Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, the Evening News, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Tue, Apr. 21, 1953.
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