First National Bank, East Conemaugh, PA (Charter 6979)

Map of East Conemaugh, Pennsylvania. Courtesy of Google Maps

First National Bank, East Conemaugh, PA (Chartered 1903 - Liquidated 1925)

Town History

Photo of the First National Bank of East Conemaugh, Pennsylvania, ca.2015. Courtesy of Mark Hotz

East Conemaugh is a borough in Cambria County, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. East Conemaugh is located in southwestern Cambria County in the valley of the Little Conemaugh River. It is bordered to the southeast, across the river, by the borough of Franklin. The center of Johnstown is 3 miles to the southwest (downstream).

The population was 1,220 at the 2010 census. In 1900 the population was 2,175 and in 1920 it peaked at 5,256.

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

Bank History

Organized June 13, 1903
Chartered October 5, 1903
Liquidated January 24, 1925
Absorbed by United States Trust Company of Johnstown

On Thursday, October 8, 1903, The First National Bank of Conemaugh opened for business. The First depositor was W.W. Wike, a veteran engineer on the Pennsylvania Railroad who retired two years earlier. The first day's business was very encouraging to the directors. D.W. Davis was president, Lewis Orris, vice president, and Walter Dowling, cashier. Among the directors was Joseph Freshkorn, a Conemaugh hotel keeper and resident of Altoona. The capital stack was 50,000 of which $35,000 had been paid in.

William Fry was an assistant cashier and brother of Frank Fry, the deceased brakeman who was on the runaway train, the eastbound freight extra, No. 2736, which shot down the mountain side on the New Portage branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad in the early morning of November 6, 1916. The train collided with four light engines at New Portage Junction killing seven men and breaking up five engines and forty-seven freight cars. When it was discovered just east of Mule Shoe that a run-off was eminent, Fireman T.E. Smith of Conemaugh jumped, sustaining slight injuries, but the rest of the crew stuck with the train. Engineer Rising tied down the whistle rope sounding warning to those ahead. The train came down the mountain side at a terrific speed estimated at 108 miles an hour. Extra freight No. 2736 was coming east and as it was passing Mule Shoe curve, the trainmen found that it was getting beyond control. The engineman whistled down brakes and all hands worked hard with hand brakes but the momentum was too great. The journals on practically all cars became red hot and those who saw the train whizzing down the mountain, said it resembled a meteor.

On August 1, 1924, Daniel W. Brallier passed away. He was a former vice president and a director of the First National Bank.

On January 27, 1921, it was announced that application was made for a charter for the Pennsylvania Trust Company of Johnstown. The incorporators were John H. Cooney, chairman, George F. Lee, secretary, John C. Pender, H.M. Tarr, James A. Sloan, Gustave A. Hoffman, Herman Widman, William Brown, Earl F. Glock, Edward G. Strauss, George Kondor, Charles T. Pollack, Dr. Olin G.A. Barker, Michael J. Bracken, and B.R. Lloyd. John H. Cooney was president of the First National Bank of Conemaugh and vice president of the Peoples State Bank of Cambria City. Josiah Swank was secretary-treasurer of the trust company; he resigned as cashier of the Farmers National Bank of Somerset where he had been since 1913. The trust company was located in the former Tribune building in Johnstown.

Official Bank Title(s)

1: The First National Bank of East Conemaugh, PA

Bank Note Types Issued

1902 Plain Back $5 bank note with pen signatures of William R. Fry, Cashier and Dan Schuabe, Vice President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

A total of $811,300 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1903 and 1925. This consisted of a total of 102,104 notes (102,104 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	4x5	1 - 3260
1902 Red Seal	3x10-20	1 - 2356
1902 Date Back	4x5	1 - 4950
1902 Date Back	3x10-20	1 - 3360
1902 Plain Back	4x5	4951 - 12240
1902 Plain Back	3x10-20	3361 - 7670

Bank Presidents and Cashiers

Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1903 - 1925):

Presidents:

Cashiers:

Other Bank Note Signers

Dan R. Schnabel, Vice President 1921...1925 Signature
There are currently no known Assistant Cashier bank note signers for this bank.

Wiki Links

Sources

East Conemaugh, PA, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Conemaugh,_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
Altoona Mirror, Altoona, PA, Fri., Oct. 9, 1903.
Altoona Times, Altoona, PA, Tue., Nov. 7, 1916.
New Castle Herald, New Castle, PA, Thu., Jan. 27, 1921.
The Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, PA, Mon., May 9, 1921.
The Record-Argus, Greenville, PA, Thu., Dec. 13, 1923.