First National Bank, Hawley, PA (Charter 6445)
First National Bank, Hawley, PA (Chartered 1902 - Closed (Merger) 1978)
Town History
Hawley is a borough on the Lackawaxen River in Wayne County, Pennsylvania. The borough's population was 1,211 at the time of the 2010 United States Census.
The borough was named for Irad Hawley, first president of the Pennsylvania Coal Company. Early industry centered on the transportation and support of nearby coal mining operations along with manufacturing facilities. The Bellemonte Silk Mill, regarded as the largest bluestone building in the world, and J.S. O'Connor American Rich Cut Glassware Factory are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Hawley is located where Middle Creek enters the Lackawaxen River at an elevation of 1,033 feet. It is 9 miles south of Honesdale, the County Seat of Wayne County, and is near the northeast tip of Lake Wallenpaupack.
Hawley had one National Bank chartered during the Bank Note Era, and it issued National Bank Notes.
Bank History
- Organized August 9, 1902
- Chartered October 2, 1902
- Opened for business January 5, 1903
- Conservatorship April 5, 1933
- Licensed Sep 28, 1933
- Bank was Open past 1935
- For Bank History after 1935 see FDIC Bank History website
- Merged into West Side Bank in Scranton, PA, September 30, 1978
In January 1905, the stockholders elected the following board of directors: James Williams, R.W. Murphy, E.L. Schlager, L.P. Cook, V.A. Decker, J.S. Welsh, G.F. Simons, H. J. Atkinson, Fred C. White. The directors were the same as the previous year except for H.J. Atkinson and F.C. White who succeeded Lot Atkinson and E.B. Hardenburg.
On April 25, 1933, Harry Atkinson, vice president of the First National Bank of Hawley and president of the Atkinson Lumber Company died at the office of the lumber company.
On September 28, 1933, a license to open was issued by the comptroller of the currency and the conservatorship of James W. Lance was terminated.
On September 16, 1934, five robbers made off with $35,000 in what was said to be Wayne County's first bank robbery. Four men stole into the Hawley Bank while a fifth waited in a car. Victor Decker of the First National Bank of Hawley, which is located directly across the street from the Hawley bank, noted men rush from the bank to a parked machine and he realized that it was a hold up. He glimpsed the license number as it flashed by. State police from Wyoming barracks and other substations in the vicinity were dispatched to the scene. Police in New York City, Binghamton and surrounding area in Pennsylvania were advised to look for New York license plates C3817. Cashier Charles Houck said the weapons they saw included a sub-machine gun and an automatic pistol. No resistance was offered and no shooting occurred. Much of the cash on hand was for factory pay rolls.
Seven men, Jacob Watson, Shohola; George Moore, Chicago; John Rocca, Jersey City; Arthur Walsh, James McNay, Herbert Miller and Howard Davelman of New York City were in the Lackawanna county jail at Scranton after making a confession that they were the ones who held up the bank at Hawley. On December 17, 1934, sentences ranging from seven and one-half to twenty years were imposed in Wayne County Court at Honesdale on seven who pleaded guilty to the $29,000 Hawley Bank robbery. The court gave high praise for the arrest to Corporal Robert Knight and Private Winfield Brown of Troop B. They directed simultaneous raids in New York City and Miami Florida where members of the gang were arrested. Walsh and Miller were escaped prisoners from the Rahway, NJ penitentiary where they were serving terms of 20 to 40 years. Harold "Red" Meehan, one of the gang in on the Hawley Bank robbery, was murdered by fellow gangsters in October. His body riddled with bullets was thrown out of an automobile in front of the Polyclinic Hospital, New York City. Two other members of the gang were identified as robbers of the North Bergen National Bank in New Jersey on September 5th that netted $20,000. Two more figured in the gang that held up the Cedar Grove National Bank on September 9th, also in New Jersey, when $9,000 in cash was stolen.
On January 8, 1935, Dr. A.C. Voigt was elected president, succeeding Robert Guinn. The other officers were A.H. Catterall and J. Wilson Ames, vice presidents; Frank C. Miller, cashier; and James D. Ames, assistant cashier. The directors were P.H. Kearney, Dr. A.C. Voigt, A.H. Catterall, J. Wilson Ames, Robert Guinn, Fred L. Westbrook, Edward Watson, Harry W. Kimble, and Max Pester.
In January 1947, the directors were P.H. Kearney, Arno C. Voigt, J. Wilson Ames, Robert Guinn, A. Max Munzel, Frank C. Miller, and Floyd W. Gumble. Mr. Gumble was a newly appointed director.
In January 1978, Roger M. Blough, chairman of the board and Frank E. Kelly, president of the First National Bank of Hawley, along with William I. Pentecost, president of the West Side Bank of Scranton, jointly announced the creation of a combined banking institution named First State Bank. In October, officers of the new bank were Robert M. Blough, board chairman; William I. Pentecost, president; David E. Dorsey, executive vice president and assistant trust officer; Frank E. Kelly, vice president in charge of the Lake Region District; Atty. Paul A. Price, secretary and trust officer; James E. Crass, III Atty.; Norman Harris, Anthony J. Skettino and Frank Suraci, Jr., all directors and Frank Suraci Sr., director emeritus. The bank had eight offices in Wayne, Lackawanna, and Pike Counties with assets of over $100 million. Locations were in Hawley, Central City Scranton, Eynon, Moosic, Lake Region, and Lackawaxen. The legal headquarters was located at Main and Keystone Streets in Hawley.
Official Bank Title(s)
1: The First National Bank of Hawley, PA
Bank Note Types Issued
A total of $1,070,720 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1902 and 1978. This consisted of a total of 86,182 notes (71,556 large size and 14,626 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 - 3300 1902 Date Back 3x10-20 1 - 4800 1902 Plain Back 3x10-20 4801 - 14589 1929 Type 1 6x10 1 - 1572 1929 Type 1 6x20 1 - 400 1929 Type 2 10 1 - 2193 1929 Type 2 20 1 - 601
Bank Presidents and Cashiers
Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1902 - 1978):
Presidents:
- Lot Atkinson, 1903-1904
- James Millham, 1905-1909
- Lewis Philander Cooke, 1910-1927
- Victor Ammon Decker, 1928-1932
- Dr. Arno Constantine Voight, 1933-1935
Cashiers:
- Victor Ammon Decker, 1903-1917
- James D. Ames, 1918-1932
- Frank Charles Miller, 1933-1935
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 Hawley (Wikipedia)
- General information on Wayne County (Wikipedia)
- General information on Pennsylvania (Wikipedia)
Sources
- Hawley, PA, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawley,_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
- The Tribune, Scranton, PA, Sat., Jan. 14, 1905.
- The Tribune, Scranton, PA, Wed., Apr. 26, 1933.
- Harrisburg Telegraph, Harrisburg, PA, Thu., Sep. 28, 1933.
- Pike County Dispatch, Milford, PA, Thu., Sep. 28, 1933.
- Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, The Evening News, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Tue., Sep. 18, 1934.
- The Times-Tribune, Scranton, PA, Wed., Sep. 19, 1934.
- The Morning Call, Allentown, PA, Wed., Sep. 19, 1934.
- Tunkhannock New Age, Tunkhannock, PA, Thu., Dec. 6, 1934.
- Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, The Evening News, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Mon., Dec. 17, 1934.
- The Times Tribune, Scranton, PA, Wed., Jan. 9, 1935.
- The Times Tribune, Scranton, PA, Sat., Jan. 18, 1936.
- The Tribune, Scranton, PA, Wed., Jan. 15, 1947.
- The Miner, Carbondale, PA, Wed., Jan. 4, 1978.
- Scrantonian Tribune, Scranton, PA, Sun., Oct. 15, 1978.