First National Bank, Freeport, IL (Charter 13695)

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This should be a contemporary postcard or photo of the bank. (Set Height x300px)

First National Bank, Freeport, IL (Chartered 1933 - Closed (Merger) 1989)

Town History

This could be recent photo of the bank or another postcard. (Set Height x300px)

Freeport is the county seat and largest city of Stephenson County, Illinois. The population was 25,638 at the 2010 census. The community was originally called Winneshiek. When it was incorporated in 1838, the new municipality took its name from the generosity of Tutty Baker, who was credited with running a "free port" on the Pecatonica River.

In 1837, Stephenson County was formed and Freeport became its seat of government in 1838. Linked by a stagecoach with Chicago, the community grew rapidly. In 1840, a frame courthouse was erected and the first school was founded. Within two years, Freeport had two newspapers and in 1853, the two were joined by a third which published in German. By then, the community had a population of 2,000.

On August 27, 1858, the second debate between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas took place in Freeport and gave the nation direction in the following years. Although Stephen Douglas won the election and retained his U.S. Senate seat, his reply to a question on slavery alienated the South, which called it the "Freeport Heresy", and split the Democratic Party. This enabled Abraham Lincoln to win the Presidency in 1860.

Freeport is known as the "Pretzel City", and its public high school's team is named the Pretzels. The nickname is a reminder of Freeport's ethnic heritage; in the late 1850s, many Germans, both from Pennsylvania and from their European homeland, resettled in Stephenson County bringing with them their love of pretzel snacks. In 1869, a German immigrant named John Billerbeck established the Billerbeck Bakery, which distributed so many pretzels to residents that the local newspaper later dubbed Freeport the "Pretzel City". The city later capitalized on this nickname in 2003 by starting Freeport's first Pretzel Festival.

Freeport had four National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and all four of those banks issued National Bank Notes.

Bank History

Official Bank Title(s)

1: First National Bank of Freeport, IL

Bank Note Types Issued

1929 Type 2 $20 bank note with printed signatures of Paul Stanbro, Cashier and L.G. Younglove, President.
1929 Type 2 $20 bank note with printed signatures of Paul Stanbro, Cashier and L.G. Younglove, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

A total of $158,430 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1933 and 1989. This consisted of a total of 12,901 notes (No large size and 12,901 small size notes).

This bank issued the following Types and Denominations of bank notes:

Series/Type Sheet/Denoms Serial#s Sheet Comments
1929 Type 2 10 1 - 9959
1929 Type 2 20 1 - 2942

Bank Presidents and Cashiers

Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1933 - 1989):

Presidents:

Cashiers:

  • Paul Leslie Stanbro, 1933-1935

Other Bank Note Signers

  • There are currently no known Vice President or Assistant Cashier bank note signers for this bank.

Wiki Links

Sources

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