First National Bank, Laporte, PA (Charter 9528)
First National Bank, Laporte, PA (Chartered 1909 - Open past 1935)
Town History
Laporte is a borough and the county seat of Sullivan County, Pennsylvania. The population was 320 at the 2020 census. In 1910 the population was 245, declining to 163 in 1930. Founded in 1847, it was named for John Laporte, Surveyor General of Pennsylvania, 26th Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and U.S. Congressman. Laporte is the smallest county seat in Pennsylvania by population (as of the 2000 Census), and in 1969 was one of the two smallest in the United States.
Laporte had one National Bank chartered during the Bank Note Era, and it issued National Bank Notes.
Bank History
- Organized June 26, 1909
- Chartered September 2, 1909
- Bank was Open past 1935
The First National Bank of La Porte, Pennsylvania, capital $25,000, received authority to organize in May 1909. The directors were F.W. Meylert, Thomas J. Ingham, A.H. Buschhausen, T.J. Keeler, and Robert Stormout.[1] A charter was issued on September 2nd and the officers were Thomas J. Ingham, president; Edward Ladley, cashier; A.H. Buschhausen and J.L. Christian, vice presidents.[2]
On July 26, 1932, a quartet of bandits held up the cashier of the First National Bank of Laporte shortly before noon. A tan car bearing PA license 8634-R issued to Charles Uhhrecht of Pittsburgh arrived at the bank just before noon. Two men entered the bank and two remained in the car. At the points of revolvers, the bandits crashed through a glass partition and dumped the cash drawer. In scooping the cash, the bank's burglar alarm was tripped and the warning bell started to ring. The departed the bank with about $650 in small bills and change and sped away into the Muncy Valley. On the way out of town they waived to Judge John P. Snowdin of Williamsport sitting on the porch of a local hotel.[3] Both men who entered the bank were young, about five feet six inches in height, wearing light brown suits.[4] The next day, Pennsylvania State Police turned toward hospitals of the Pennsylvania hard coal regions in their search for the young men who held up the First National Bank at LaPorte in sparsely settled Sullivan county. The hospital search began when Stanley Rigwalski, Nanticoke policeman, told of a running gun battle with men in an automobile answering the description of the bandits' machine. Rigwalski and the fugitives exchanged scores of shots before a bearing burned out in the automobile in which the policeman pursued them toward Wilkes-Barre. State police received reports that a man whose head was covered with blood was seen in the automobile. The rear glass of the fugitives' machine, a cinnamon-colored sedan, was shattered. The bandits obtained $660 in a noon-time holdup of the bank. The cashier, Alfred Helsman, fired at the men as they fled. Another Laporte resident pursued them in to the mountains but lost their trail. When last seen, the suspects were headed toward Hazleton.[5] On August 25, 1932, Raymond Schwenk, 20, of Catasaqua, and John K. Bennett of Knoxville, Tennessee, were returned to Wyoming Barracks to stand trial for robbing the Laporte bank. The two men who escaped from Lehigh County Jail at Allentown on June 1st were arrested in Painesville, Ohio while attempting a bank hold-up. They were said to have confessed to the crime.[6]
In October 1933, Lorenzo L. Doerstler of Lehighton, escaped convict from the Lehigh County Jail was not one of the trio that held up the Schnecksville State Bank that netted $6,500. Doerstler was wanted for the holdup of the Laporte bank for which John K. Bennett and Raymond Schwenk, alias Herron, were convicted and sent to jail for from ten to twenty years. Doerstler was known to have been in Chicago the past week.[7][8]
On January 6, 1938, Alfred D. Helsman, 51, a former employee of the Stegmaier Brewing Company and late cashier of the First National Bank of Laporte died from pneumonia at Robert Packer Hospital, Sayre. Mr. Helsman was born at Bernice on July 31, 1886. He was educated in public schools of Bernice and Elmira Business College. In 1914 his father, Joseph Helsman, was elected treasurer of Sullivan County and he was appointed deputy treasurer. At the expiration of his father's term he ran for treasurer and was elected by a large majority and had the honor of being the youngest man to be elected to that office in the county.[9]
In April 1952, H.L. Benninger, cashier, First National Bank of Laporte was named to the Group 4 executive committee, PA Bankers' Association.[10] He was formerly the assistant cashier of the Ulster First National Bank.
In January 1955, the directors were R.D. Kehrer, Charles M. Kschinka, William A. Monahan, H.L. Benninger, William F. Kast, and Leslie W. Miller. The officers were R.D. Kehrer, president; Charles M. Kschinka, vice president; H.L. Benninger, cashier; and Nancy Schug, assistant cashier.[11] In September 1955, Robert A. White, native of Williamsport and recently associated with the Bristol Trust Co. of Yardley, near Philadelphia, was the new cashier of the First National Bank of Laporte. Mr. White succeeded Howard L. Benninger who resigned to accept a position with the Wyoming National Bank of Tunkhannock.[12]
In January 1958, the directors were Charles M. Kschinka, R.D. Kehrer, William F. Kast, Leslie W. Miller, and Willis R. Stepp. The officers were R.D. Kehrer, president; Charles Kschinka, vice president; Robert A. White, cashier; and Nancy S. O'Connor, assistant cashier.[13]
On Monday, April 3, 1961, Raymond D. Kehrer, 79, well-known Eagles Mere businessman and civic leader died at his home. He was a native of Williamsport.[14]
In January 1967, Leslie W. Miller was elected vice president of the board, a new office.[15]
Citizens & Northern Corporation is a bank holding company with assets exceeding $2.4 billion and is headquartered in Wellsboro, PA. Banking and lending services are provided by its subsidiary, C&N, from 30 banking and loan production offices in Bradford, Cameron, Lycoming, McKean, Potter, Sullivan, Tioga, Bucks, York, Lancaster and Chester Counties in Pennsylvania and Steuben and Chemung Counties in New York. Citizens & Northern Bank was formed October 1, 1971, following the consolidation of Northern National Bank of Wellsboro (which traces to the First National Bank, Wellsborough, PA and Citizens National Bank of Towanda. Citizens & Northern continued to expand, opening several new branches from 1971 through 2005. In 2005, Citizens & Northern Bank merged with Canisteo Valle Corp., allowing the bank to acquire two New York State offices in Canisteo and Hornell. In April of 2019, Citizens & Northern Bank finalized a merger with Monument Bank in Bucks County, PA, which added two full-service branches and a loan production office. Following the merger, Citizens & Northern Bank rebranded its outward appearance to the current C&N you see today. C&N continued to bolster its presence in Southeastern Pennsylvania by merging with Covenant Bank in August of 2020. The addition of Covenant Bank included a second branch in Doylestown and a branch in Paoli in Chester County.
Official Bank Title
1: The First National Bank of Laporte, PA
Bank Note Types Issued
A total of $481,880 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1909 and 1935. This consisted of a total of 60,336 notes (47,472 large size and 12,864 small size notes).
This bank issued the following Types and Denominations of bank notes:
Series/Type Sheet/Denoms Serial#s Sheet Comments 1902 Date Back 4x5 1 - 1925 1902 Date Back 3x10-20 1 - 1630 1902 Plain Back 4x5 1926 - 7142 1902 Plain Back 3x10-20 1631 - 4726 1929 Type 1 6x5 1 - 990 1929 Type 1 6x10 1 - 582 1929 Type 1 6x20 1 - 148 1929 Type 2 5 1 - 1544 1929 Type 2 10 1 - 736 1929 Type 2 20 1 - 264
Bank Presidents and Cashiers
Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1909 - 1935):
Presidents:
- Thomas Jefferson Ingham, 1910-1910
- Dr. Justin Loomis Christian, 1911-1924
- Raymond D. Kehrer, 1925-1935
Cashiers:
Other Known Bank Note Signers
Bank Note History Links
Sources
- Laporte, 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
- ↑ The Wall Street Journal, New York, NY, Thu., May 6, 1909.
- ↑ The Pittsburgh Post, Pittsburgh, PA, Sat., Sep. 4, 1909.
- ↑ The Plain Speaker, Hazleton, PA, Tue., July 26, 1932.
- ↑ Shamokin News-Dispatch, Shamokin, PA, Tue., July 26, 1932.
- ↑ The Evening Times, Sayre, PA, Wed., July 27, 1932.
- ↑ Shamokin News-Dispatch, Shamokin, PA, Sat., Aug. 27, 1932.
- ↑ The Plain Speaker, Hazleton, PA, Fri., Oct. 27, 1933.
- ↑ The Plain Speaker, Hazleton, PA, Tue., Oct. 31, 1933.
- ↑ The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Fri., Jan. 7, 1938.
- ↑ The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, PA, Sun., Apr. 6, 1952.
- ↑ Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, the Evening News, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Sat., Jan. 15, 1955.
- ↑ Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, the Evening News, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Mon., Sep. 19, 1955.
- ↑ Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, the Evening News, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Wed., Jan. 22, 1958.
- ↑ The Daily Item, Sunbury, PA, Wed., Apr. 5, 1961.
- ↑ The Evening Times, Sayre, PA, Wed., Jan. 11, 1967.