Hays National Bank, Hays, PA (Charter 6507)
Hays National Bank, Hays, PA (Chartered 1902 - Open past 1935)
Town History
Hays is a neighborhood in the 31st Ward of the east side of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. It is located approximated 1 1/2 miles West of Homestead and is named after James H. Hays, who opened a coal-mining operation called Hays and Haberman Mines in 1828.
Hays was first settled in 1789 when still part of Baldwin Township by John Smalls, who named the area Six Mile Ferry Village. The H.B. Hays and Brothers Coal Railroad was a narrow gauge railroad that ran from the coal mine along Streets Run to the coal tipple at Six Mile Ferry.
The neighborhood was formerly the site of the Hays Army Ammunition Plant, built by the U.S. Navy in 1942. The plant was transferred to the Army in 1966, and during its heyday between World War II and the Vietnam War, employed more than a thousand people. In 1970 the plant was put on standby status until disposition in 1988. In 1993 the site was donated to the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh. The closing of the plant has led to an enormous loss of population: in 1940 the population was 2,238, while in 2010 the population was only 362.
Hays had one National Bank chartered during the Bank Note Era and it issued National Bank Notes.
Bank History
- Organized October 30, 1902
- Chartered November 26, 1902
- Bank was Open past 1935
- Notation on Organization Report:
- (P. O. Hope Church) written in after Borough of Hays
- Acquired by the Peoples First National Bank & Trust Company, Pittsburgh, on December 13, 1947
In June 1902, the comptroller of the currency approved the application to organize the Hays National Bank of Hays, Pennsylvania, with capital of $25,000. On Monday, December 1, 1902, Hays' first financial institution opened for business with Reid Kennedy as president and E.E. Ebbert, cashier.
On Tuesday, January 8, 1907, the following were elected directors: Charles Schmeltz, Reid Kennedy, J.O. Miller, Charles Adamitz, and A.C. Dinkey.
On June 13, 1910, Robert, aged 14, son of Charles Schmeltz, vice president of the Hays National Bank, was jumping from the porch of his residence in Hays and accidentally fell on the sidewalk, breaking his left arm. He was attended by a nearby physician.
On January 13, 1920, the following directors were elected Reid Kennedy, Hugh Nevin, George F. Lloyd, John Cochran, and Charles F. Adamitz.
On June 8, 1920, four bandits held up the Hays National Bank at 142 Baldwin Street and escaped with about $6,100 in cash and a large amount of Liberty bonds. Shortly before 11 AM, Clayton McClure, cashier, and Miss Alice Rossman, bookkeeper, the only persons in the bank, were ordered to turn their heads to the wall under threat of death. Two men held revolvers, while a third walked behind the cage and gathered up all the money in sight. The robbers attempted to lock the employees in the vault. The door of the vault was slammed shut, but not locked. About five minutes after the men had left, McClure ventured out of the vault and telephoned to Pittsburgh and county detectives. Detectives learned that two of the men left the automobile after it had passed through Homestead and later boarded a trolley car for Pittsburgh. After a futile search throughout Washington and Fayette counties for the robbers, county detectives returned to Pittsburgh without the least knowledge of the identity of the bandits. The sleuths successfully trailed the automobile, which was described as covered with brass trimmings, as far as Searight, Fayette County, where it seemed to disappear into the air. A search of almost every town in Washington and Fayette Counties failed to furnish the detectives with a clue. It was believed by the officers that the robbers took a road leading into a mining town between Searight and Brownsville. Several persons informed the detectives that between noon and 1 o'clock the machine containing the robbers, was seen traveling towards Elizabeth at a rapid rate of speed.
On July 30, 1920, David Davis, 24 years old, proprietor of a dyeing and cleaning establishment of Toledo, Ohio, was identified by five persons as one of the five automobile bandits who looted The Hays National Bank. Davis was arrested in Detroit, Michigan the previous week while attempting to dispose of about $40,000 worth of bonds and securities thought to have been stolen from the First National Bank of Finleyville several months ago. The arrest of Davis, Robert H. Braun, chief of county detectives, declared, has bungled one of the biggest raids ever planned, a raid that would have resulted in the arrest of at least 10 nationally known bandits wanted in a dozen cities for bank robberies. For several months the county detectives had been closing in on the gang, but the arrest of Davis was made and the gang made their getaway.
In January 1922, the directors elected were Reid Kennedy, Hugh Nevin, George F. Lloyd, John Cochran, Hugh Fishwick, Jr., and W.C. McClure.
On December 22, 1928, Cashier M.A. Coons had an early Christmas visit. County detectives had found no clues either to the trail of the two bandits who attempted to rob the cashier of the Hays National Bank as he was carrying $14,000 into the bank or to the possible identities of the men. The new Hupmobile sedan bearing 1929 Pennsylvania license plates, in which the two men escaped after one of them had been unnerved by the coolness of Cashier Coon and had missed four shots from his revolver, was last seen speeding toward Clairton. County detectives arrived at the bank less than a half hour after the holdup had been attempted, but the trail even then was cold. Meanwhile, Cashier Coon was receiving the congratulations of his friends upon still being alive, for any one of the four shots fired by the thug probably would have killed or seriously wounded the banker had it been fired by a steadier hand. Coon was fired upon as he walked up the steps to the bank after he stepped out of an automobile, driven by G.H. Stille, a teller. The two had driven from the Monongahela Trust Co., Homestead, parent bank of the Hays institution, with the money which was used to cash the checks issued in the Christmas pay of the Harbison-Walker Refractories. The holdup man's demand was "Gimme the money, quick," but Cashier Coon answered "Go on, I'll hit you with it." The bandit pulled the trigger, but the first cartridge failed to explode. The bank cashier postponed arguing with the bandit, while he fumbled with the key to the door of the bank, but not before taking a swing at him with the brief case in which the $14,000 was being carried.
In November 1947, the Monongahela Trust Co. of Homestead announced it would become the Homestead Branch of the Peoples First National Bank & Trust Co. and the Hays National Bank would become the Hays Branch, subject to Monongahela stockholders' approval. Announcement was made jointly by Robert C. Downie, president of Peoples First National and George F. Lloyd, president of Monongahela Trust Company. Monongahela owned controlling stock of the Hays National. Monongahela Trust Co., organized in 1901, had total resources in excess of $22,000,000. Hays National had resources of more than $1,500,000. The two new branches would bring to 14 the number of offices of Peoples First National. On December 13, 1947, the business of the Hays National Bank was assumed by the Peoples First National Bank & Trust Company, Pittsburgh.
Official Bank Title(s)
1: The Hays National Bank, Hays, PA
Bank Note Types Issued
A total of $568,150 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1902 and 1935. This consisted of a total of 71,467 notes (59,616 large size and 11,851 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 - 1225 1902 Red Seal 3x10-20 1 - 976 1902 Date Back 4x5 1 - 2300 1902 Date Back 3x10-20 1 - 1610 1902 Plain Back 4x5 2301 - 7794 1902 Plain Back 3x10-20 1611 - 4909 1929 Type 1 6x5 1 - 1040 1929 Type 1 6x10 1 - 500 1929 Type 1 6x20 1 - 152 1929 Type 2 5 1 - 960 1929 Type 2 10 1 - 550 1929 Type 2 20 1 - 189
Bank Presidents and Cashiers
Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1902 - 1936):
Presidents:
Cashiers:
- Edward E. Ebbert, 1903-1903
- Arthur Ball, 1904-1917
- William Castellar McClure, 1918-1927
- Murray Arthur Coon, 1928-1935
Other Bank Note Signers
- John L. McDermott, Assistant Cashier 1918
- There are currently no known Vice President bank note signers for this bank.
Wiki Links
- Pennsylvania Bank Note History
- General information on Hays (Wikipedia)
- General information on Allegheny County (Wikipedia)
- General information on Pennsylvania (Wikipedia)
Sources
- Hays, PA, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hays,_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 Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, PA, Mon. June 9, 1902.
- The Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, PA, Sat., Nov. 29, 1902.
- The Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, PA, Tue., Jan. 8, 1907.
- The Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, PA, Mon. June 13, 1910.
- The Pittsburgh Daily Post, Pittsburgh, PA, Wed., Jan. 14, 1920.
- The Pittsburgh Daily Post, Pittsburgh, PA, Wed., June 9, 1920.
- The Pittsburgh Daily Post, Pittsburgh, PA, Sat., July 31, 1920.
- The Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, PA, Fri., Jan. 13, 1922.
- The Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, PA, Sun., Dec. 23, 1928.
- Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, Pittsburgh, PA, Sat., Nov. 1, 1947.
- The Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, PA, Tue., Jan. 6, 1948.