First National Bank, Tamaqua, PA (Charter 1219)

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The Anthracite Bank of Tamaqua Uncut Proof Sheet
The Anthracite Bank of Tamaqua, Pennsylvania, Haxby PA-635, $10-$20-$50-$100 Uncut Proof Sheet. A portrait of Governor James Pollock who was in office from 1855-1858 is found on the $10 at left along with a central vignette of farmers gathering hay. The $20 features a portrait of the young boy which was destined to be used on the CSA T32 $5 Treasury Note. The $50 design includes a striking, large coal mining vignette at left and Governor Pollock's portrait again at top, right. The coal mining vignette also used on a $10 for the Pittston Bank. The $100 has Daniel Webster at lower right. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

First National Bank, Tamaqua, PA (Chartered 1865 - Open past 1935)

Town History

Anthracite Bank Building
Anthracite Bank Building, also known as The Beard Building, is a historic former bank building located in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1850, and is a three-story, three bay wide, brick building in the Italianate style. The first floor exterior is white marble. It housed Tamaqua's first financial institution until 1865. At far left next to the bank is the Masonic Temple on the corner of Broad and Nescopec Streets. Courtesy of Google Maps ca2022

Tamaqua (pronounced tuh-MAH-qwah) is a borough in eastern Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. The borough is in a Pennsylvania Coal Region with a population of 7,107 as of the 2010 U.S. Census. In 1900, the population was 7,267, peaking in 1930 at 12,936.

Tamaqua was settled in 1799 when Burkhardt (alternatively Berkhard) Moser, accompanied by his son Jacob and by John Kershner, built shelters and a sawmill at the confluence of the Little Schuylkill River and Panther Creek, which is downtown Tamaqua today. In 1817 anthracite coal was discovered by Moser and his son Jacob.

Originally to be named Tuscarora, the name Tamaqua was chosen after it was realized that there already was a community named Tuscarora about four miles to the west. Tamaqua, another Indian word for "running water" was chosen.

The town was incorporated as a borough in 1832. The first coal breaker, called "The Greenwood" was built at the site of the first mine at the lower end of the Panther Creek Valley. Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company, with 10,000 acres located between Mauch Chunk in present-day Jim Thorpe and Tamaqua, was known to have mine tailings in their lands in Coaldale. The Greenwood breaker in 1874, as noted in the above quote, was burned by the Molly Maguires in the labor troubles of that era.

Irish, Welsh, and German immigrants came to the borough in the 1840s and 1850s followed by a large influx of Italians, Lithuanians, Russians, Ukrainians, Slovaks, and Poles in the 1890s and early 20th century. During the 1860s and 1870s, Tamaqua also was the geographic center hub for the Molly Maguires. One murder commonly attributed to the Mollies was that of town policeman Benjamin Yost, who was shot to death early one morning while extinguishing a gas lamp at the corner of West Broad and Lehigh Streets. The Tamaqua Railroad station was constructed in 1874. It stood idle from the mid 1980s through the late 1990s after passenger railroad service to the town was discontinued. Initially planned to be demolished in the late 1980s, the non-profit group Save Our Station (S.O.S.) eventually managed to raise enough money to have it refurbished at a cost of $1.5 million. The station reopened in August 2004 and is now home to a full-service restaurant and gift shop. Rail excursions leave from there during the Tamaqua Historical Society's annual Heritage Festival on the second Sunday in October.

Tamaqua had two National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, the First National Bank (Charter 1219), and the Tamaqua National Bank (Charter 7286), and both of those banks issued National Bank Notes.

Bank History

The Anthracite Bank Check
The Anthracite Bank Check for $157.38 dated Nov. 5, 1863, signed by J.G. Houser, Cashier. A portrait of Governor James Pollock appears at bottom left. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com
The Anthracite Bank of Tamaqua Obsolete $5
The Anthracite Bank of Tamaqua Obsolete $5, signed by Wm. Milnes, Cashier and John Donaldson, President, and dated January 6, 1862. The note features a central vignette of an industrial facility and coal train, as well as a portrait of Henry Clay at left and sheep at right. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com
  • Organized May 11, 1865
  • Chartered June 5, 1865
  • Succeeded Anthracite Bank
  • Bank was Open past 1935
  • Anthracite Bank Building

The Anthracite Bank

On June 1, 1848, the citizens of Schuylkill County gave notice of the intent to apply to the Legislature at the next session for a charter for a bank of discount and deposit to be located in the borough of Tamaqua to be called "The Anthracite Bank of Tamaqua" with a capital of $250,000 with privilege to increase same to $500,000. Signatories were Wm. B. Lebo, John S. Boyer, S. Irwin, John K. Smith, Abraham Focht, Joseph Haughawout, Henry Kepner, D. Hunter, John Denniston, Thomas P. Simmons, Robert Ratcliff, and Rowland Jones.[1]

Among the bank bills vetoed by the Governor was one for the Anthracite Bank at Tamaqua, capital $100,000.[2]

In April 1855, reports from Harrisburg named six bank bills signed by Governor James Pollock. They were Mechanics' Bank of Pittsburg, $500,000; City Bank of Philadelphia, $500,000; Mauch Chunk Bank, $200,000; Anthracite Bank at Tamaqua, $200,000; and New Castle Bank, $150,000.[3] On Saturday afternoon, August 4, 1855, stockholders of the Anthracite Bank of Tamaqua elected the following gentlemen officers for the ensuing year: Richard Carter, Esq., president; John Hendricks, Esq., cashier; William Priser, Esq., teller, Richard Carter, Nicholas Balliet, Robert Ratcliff, Emanuel J. Fry, William Donaldson, Benjamin T. Hughes, Gideon Whetstone, John S. Boyer, Stephen Ringer, Geo. Wiggans, M.P. Fowler, Benj. Heilner, and John Hunter.[4] On Wednesday, August 22, 1855, the Anthracite Bank of Tamaqua went into operation.[5]

The morning of November 5, 1856, the agent of Wm. Milnes & Co., name not given, was shot near Summit and robbed of $5,000 in five and ten dollar bills on the Anthracite Bank, Tamaqua. He was not killed and described the assassin as heavy set with a Kossuth hat.[6]

The night of Thursday, November 06, 1857, Richard Carter, the president of the Anthracite Bank, Tamaqua, was shot at St. Lawrence Hotel in Philadelphia by Thomas W. Smith. Carter received four balls from a six-barreled pistol and died almost instantly.[7][8] In December 1857, William Donaldson, Esq., was elected president of the Anthracite Bank of Tamaqua in the place of Richard Carter, Esq., deceased.[9]

The Mining Record reported an explosion of firedamp took place in the mines of Messrs. Wm. Donaldson & Son at Tamaqua, on Monday, July 11, 1859, which very seriously injured Mr. Donaldson, Mr. Shaw (the mine boss,) and two workmen, (Wm. Tamares and G. Pfeifer.) Mr. John Donaldson, who was in the mines about twenty feet behind his father, had his neck and right ear slightly scorched, and only escaped a serious burning by falling upon the ground, burying his hands and face in the coal dirt. The parties had gone in to examine the work and had not given the mines time to be thoroughly ventilated. Mr. Donaldson, the President of the Anthracite Bank of Tamaqua, was the most seriously injured, but was thought he would recover.[10] On Wednesday, July 27, 1859, William Donaldson, Esq., president of the Anthracite Bank of Tamaqua and one of the most prominent and enterprising citizens of Schuylkill County, died at his residence in Tamaqua from injuries received at an explosion of firedamp at his coal mine on the 11th inst.[11]

On Friday, December 13, 1861, an explosion of firedamp occurred in the mines of William Milnes, Jr., & Co., at St. Clair by which two young men named Charles Ferguson and William Evans were killed and John Evans, Patrick Tower, John Bolus, John O'Donnell and Christin Meehan, burnt and otherwise injured.[12]

First National Bank of Tamaqua

In January 1866, William Milnes, Esq., an enterprising Pennsylvanian and a citizen of Columbia County purchased 51,000 acres of land in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, on which there were three furnaces and a forge. It was his plan to place them into operation immediately.[13] Mr. William Milnes, Jr., the Conservative elected to Congress from the Seventh District of Virginia was a Pennsylvania. On election day, his opponent, convinced that he would be beaten unless a diversion could be made announced that Milnes equipped the Pennsylvania Bucktails, "the Barnburners" as he termed them of the Valley. The people however said they were not fighting Bucktails or anybody else now as the war was over.[14]

In March 1888, the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court in the case of Thomas H. Carter, cashier of the Tamaqua First National Bank, decided that the Act of the Pennsylvania Legislature prohibiting bank cashiers from engaging in business did not affect the cashiers of national banks. The common sense view reasoned that if the Legislature could impose qualifications upon one officer, it could upon them all, and might interfere so much with the national banks that they couldn't exist.[15][16]

In January 1890, William F. Carter, Thomas H. Carter, George Philler, the president of the First National Bank of Philadelphia, E.J. Frey, and Wallace Guss were elected directors of the First National Bank of Tamaqua.[17]

On November 11, 1898, E.J. Fry, one of Tamaqua's most prominent citizens, known throughout the State, died after a four-year illness. He was born in Gratztown, Dauphin County in 1826, coming to Tamaqua in 1848 to engage in the drug and hardware business. In 1849 he was appointed postmaster and enjoyed the distinction of being at the time the youngest postmaster in the United States. In 1853 he was commissioned as Colonel, Second Regiment of the First Brigade of the Sixth Division composed of the uniformed militia of Schyulkill, Carbon and Monroe counties. He was one of the organizers of the Anthracite Bank in 1854 and later he was elected president of the First National Bank of Tamaqua in 1866, continuing in office until the time of his death.[18]

On Monday, May 18, 1903, Wm. Calloway, a retired merchant and former vice president was elected president of the First National Bank of Tamaqua. The Wm. T. Carter estate sold 1,100 shares of the capital stock to A.J. Thomas, T.M. Whilden, Jno. E. Lauer of Lansford, and George W. Davis of Centralia, giving them a controlling interest in that institution.[19] The bank reorganized Saturday, May 23rd, with A.J. Thomas, J.E. Lauer, T.C. Whildin, G.W. Davis and William Calloway the directors. J.F. Derr was elected cashier; Elwood Thomas, teller; and Harry C. Johns, assistant teller.[20] Prof. J.F. Derr declined the cashiership and was elected for a term of three years as principal of the high school. He loved the work and when the time came to lay it down and take up a form of employment radically different he found the sacrifice was a greater one than he had anticipated.[21] On May 27th, J. Frank Weimer, teller of the Citizens National Bank of Ashland was elected cashier at a salary of $1,800.[22] In June Mr. Weimer reconsidered and would remain with the Citizens National Bank of Ashland.[23] Finally, W.H. Kneedler of the Fourth National Bank of Philadelphia was elected cashier.[24]

In January 1906, stockholders elected the following directors: J.F. McGinty, David Bensinger, J.E> Lauer, G.W> Davis, T.N. Wheldon, D.F.B. Shepp, A.J. Thomas, Seligman Livingstone, and John Wentzel. J.F. McGinty was elected president to succeed William Calloway, deceased, and S. Livingstone was elected vice president.[25]

On Tuesday, January 9, 1912, the following directors were elected for the ensuing year: A.L. Lutz, David Bensinger, J.A. Schilbe, Levi Follweiler, D.F.B. Shepp, J.F. McGinty, John Wentzel, S. Livingstone, G.A. Haefeker.[26]

In March 1913, at a meeting of the board of directors, J. Andrew Schilbe was elected president of the bank succeeding S. Livingstone who died in Havana, Cuba, on February 16th.[27] Mr. Livingstone departed for Cuba in company with his wife for the benefit of her health. He was stricken with pneumonia.[28]

On Tuesday, January 11, 1927, the directors re-elected were W.R. Jones, Martin Fey, E.M.B. Shepp, S.R. Beard, L.S. Follweiler, P.H. Hadesty, S.P. Wagner, J.E. Auchmuty, and A.L. Lutz. The officers elected were E.M.B. Shepp, chairman of the board and vice president; L.S. Follweiler, president; P.H. Hadesty, vice president; Samuel Folk, Jr., cashier and trust officer; C.M. Wardrop, assistant cashier.[29] On Saturday, July 30, 1927, L.S. Follweiler, 93, died at his home in Pottsville. He was the third bank official to die within a week, P.H. Hadesty, vice president, having died on Friday.[30] and S.G. Seligman, who like Mr. Hadesty was engaged in the hardware business for many years, died on the 26th.[31]

In January the following directors were now serving: W.R. Jones, Martin Fey, H.K. Selegman, S.P. Wagner, S.R. Beard, president; E.B. Shepp, vice president; Dr. J.E. Auchmuty, Jr.; Samuel Folk, cashier and trust officer; and C.M. Wardrop, assistant cashier. During the past year three directors died, L.S. Folweiler, P.H. Hadesty and A.L. Lutz.[32]

In January 1958, E.M.B. Shepp was re-elected president of the First National Bank. Other officers re-elected were State Senator Paul L. Wagner, vice president; M.V. Wolfe, cashier; Robert F. Wagner, trust officer; Earl Behr, assistant trust officer and Mrs. Margaret Reese Evans, secretary. Directors re-elected were Shepp, Harry K. Seligman, William W. Yost, Sen. Wagner and R.C.H. Becker II.[33] On Friday, February 21, 1958, Edward M.B. Shepp of 522 E. Broad Street, Tamaqua, died in Coaldale Hospital. A life-long resident of Tamaqua, he was a veteran of the Spanish American War and former coal breaker operator. He was elected to the board of directors of the First National Bank in 1918 and was named president in 1918.[34] On March 4th, at a meeting of the bank's board of directors, Sen. Wagner replaced Mr. Shepp as president. The directors also named William W. Yost, Tamaqua, as vice president. Elected to succeed Mr. Shepp as a director was Attorney Sparks A. Reese, also of Tamaqua.[35]

On Monday morning, October 3, 1960, the Tamaqua bank began its operation as a branch of the Miners National Bank of Pottsville. This consolidation was completed over the weekend and brought the total resources of the Miners National to over $32 million. Richard G. Rees, vice president of the First National Bank would serve as manager of the Tamaqua office. State Senator Paul F. Wagner and Herman R. Fenstermacher would serve as directors of the Miners bank. This consolidation now brought total Miners bank offices to five, serving Schuylkill and part of Dauphin County.[36] The comptroller of the currency approved the Miners National Bank's application to establish a branch bank in Hometown which would bring the total offices to six. J. Robert Bazley, president of the Pottsville bank, said the branch would offer drive-in banking, free customer parking and walk-up window for fast efficient service. It was expected that this branch at the junction of Rotes 45 and 309, northwest corner in the Scrafford building, would be in operation by January 1961.[37]

Official Bank Title

1: The First National Bank of Tamaqua, PA

Bank Note Types Issued

Original Series $5 bank note
Original Series $5 bank note with pen signatures of J.W. Abbot, Cashier and E.J. Fry, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com
1882 Brown Back $10 bank note
1882 Brown Back $10 bank note with pen signatures of Wallace Guss, Cashier and E.J. Fry, President. Courtesy of Lyn Knight Auctions, www.lynknight.com
1902 Plain Back $20 bank note
1902 Plain Back $20 bank note with stamped signatures of Samuel Folk, Jr., Cashier and L.S. Follweiler, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com
1929 Type 2 $20 bank note
1929 Type 2 $20 bank note with printed signatures of Samuel Folk, Jr., Cashier and E.M.B. Shepp, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

A total of $3,323,470 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1865 and 1935. This consisted of a total of 270,696 notes (227,388 large size and 43,308 small size notes).

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

Series/Type Sheet/Denoms Serial#s Sheet Comments
Original Series 4x5 1 - 4647
Original Series 3x10-20 1 - 3700
Original Series 50-100 1 - 300
Series 1875 3x10-20 1 - 2856
Series 1875 50-100 1 - 512
1882 Brown Back 3x10-20 1 - 12109
1902 Red Seal 3x10-20 1 - 3600
1902 Date Back 3x10-20 1 - 9700
1902 Plain Back 3x10-20 9701 - 29529
1929 Type 1 6x10 1 - 4162
1929 Type 1 6x20 1 - 1034
1929 Type 2 10 1 - 9741
1929 Type 2 20 1 - 2391

Bank Presidents and Cashiers

Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1865 - 1935):

Presidents:

Cashiers:

Other Known Bank Note Signers

  • No other known bank note signers for this bank

Bank Note History Links

Sources

  • Tamaqua, 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. ↑ The Patriot, Harrisburg, PA, Wed., Jan. 17, 1849.
  2. ↑ The Indiana Progress, Indiana, PA, Wed., May 12, 1852.
  3. ↑ The Register and Examiner, and Village Record for Saturday, West Chester, PA, Sat., Apr. 7, 1855.
  4. ↑ The Star of the North, Bloomsburg, PA, Thu., Aug. 9, 1855.
  5. ↑ The Sunbury Gazette, Sunbury, PA, Sat., Sep. 1, 1855.
  6. ↑ Wayne County Herald, Honesdale, PA, Thu., Nov. 6, 1856.
  7. ↑ Lewisburg Chronicle, Lewisburg, PA, Fri., Nov. 6, 1857.
  8. ↑ The Record, West Chester, PA, Sat., Nov. 7, 1857.
  9. ↑ The Sunbury Gazette, and Northumberland County Republican, Sunbury, PA, Sat., Dec. 5, 1857.
  10. ↑ Reading Times, Reading, PA, Mon., July 18, 1859.
  11. ↑ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh, PA, Fri. Aug. 5, 1859.
  12. ↑ Pittston Gazette, Pittston, PA, Thu., Dec. 19, 1861.
  13. ↑ The Pittsburgh Commercial, Pittsburgh, PA, Mon., Jan. 22, 1866.
  14. ↑ The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, PA, Sat., July 17, 1869.
  15. ↑ Daily Village Record, West Chester, PA, Fri., Mar. 16, 1888.
  16. ↑ Lancaster New Era, Lancaster, PA, Fri., Feb. 17, 1888.
  17. ↑ The Miners Journal, Pottsville, PA, Thu., Jan. 16, 1890.
  18. ↑ The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, PA, Sat., Nov. 12, 1898.
  19. ↑ Pottsville Republican, Pottsville, PA, Mon., May 18, 1903.
  20. ↑ The Miners Journal, Pottsville, PA, Mon., May 25, 1903.
  21. ↑ Republican and Herald, Pottsville, PA, Wed., May 27, 1903.
  22. ↑ Republican and Herald, Pottsville, PA, Thu., May 28, 1903.
  23. ↑ The Miners Journal, Pottsville, PA, Wed., June 10, 1903.
  24. ↑ The Morning Call, Allentown, PA, Sat., June 20, 1903.
  25. ↑ Republican and Herald, Pottsville, PA, Thu., Jan. 11, 1906.
  26. ↑ Pottsville Republican, Pottsville, PA, Tue., Jan. 9, 1912.
  27. ↑ Republican and Herald, Pottsville, PA, Sat., Mar. 15, 1913.
  28. ↑ West Schuylkill Herald, Tower City, PA, Fri., Feb. 28, 1913.
  29. ↑ Pottsville Republican, Pottsville, PA, Tue., Jan. 11, 1927.
  30. ↑ Reading Times, Reading, PA, Mon. Aug. 1, 1927.
  31. ↑ The Plain Speaker, Hazleton, PA, Mon., Aug. 1, 1927.
  32. ↑ Pottsville Republican, Pottsville, PA, Tue., Jan. 10, 1928.
  33. ↑ The Morning Call, Allentown, PA, Wed., Jan. 15, 1958.
  34. ↑ Pottsville Republican, Pottsville, PA, Sat., Feb. 22, 1958.
  35. ↑ The Morning Call, Allentown, PA, Wed., Mar. 5, 1958.
  36. ↑ Pottsville Republican, Pottsville, PA, Tue., Oct. 4, 1960.
  37. ↑ Pottsville Republican, Pottsville, PA, Thu., Oct. 6, 1960.
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