Liberty National Bank, Pittsburgh, PA (Charter 4339)
Liberty National Bank, Pittsburgh, PA (Chartered 1890 - Liquidated 1923)
Town History
Pittsburgh is a city in the state of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. As of the 2020 census, the population was 302,971 living within the city limits making it the 68th-largest city in the U.S. and the second-most populous city in Pennsylvania, behind Philadelphia. The Pittsburgh metropolitan area is the anchor of Western Pennsylvania; its population of 2.37 million is the largest in both the Ohio Valley and Appalachia, the second-largest in Pennsylvania, and the 27th-largest in the U.S.
Pittsburgh is located in the southwest of the state, at the confluence of the Allegheny River and the Monongahela River, forming the Ohio River. Pittsburgh is known both as "the Steel City" for its more than 300 steel-related businesses and as the "City of Bridges" for its 446 bridges. The city features 30 skyscrapers, two inclined railways, a pre-revolutionary war fortification and the Point State Park at the confluence of the rivers. The city developed as a vital link of the Atlantic coast and Midwest.
East Liberty is a neighborhood in Pittsburgh's East End. It is bordered by Highland Park, Morningside, Stanton Heights, Garfield, Friendship, Shadyside and Larimer. One of the most notable features in the East Liberty skyline is the East Liberty Presbyterian Church, which is an area landmark.
Pittsburgh had 47 National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and 46 of those banks issued National Bank Notes. Pittsburgh also had several Obsolete Banks that issued Obsolete Bank Notes during the Obsolete Bank Note Era (1782-1866).
Bank History
- Organized April 29, 1890
- Chartered June 9, 1890
- Liquidated June 20, 1923
- Absorbed by East End Savings and Trust Company of Pittsburgh
On June 9, 1890, the comptroller of the currency authorized the Liberty National Bank of Pittsburgh with a capital of $200,000 to begin business. John H. McKelvy was president and D.C. Kuhn cashier.
In January, 1891, directors of the Liberty National Bank were: John H. McKelvy, president; James H. Park, vice president; E.M. Bigelow, Ira F. Brainard, J.T. McCance, H.G. Imhoff, T.B. Moreland, J.M. Stevenson, E.H. Myers.
On Tuesday, March 8, 1892, it was learned that the Liberty National Bank had purchased for $60,000 the lot on the corner of Ellsworth and Penn avenues. It was 60x100 feet, and there were three two-story buildings on it, occupied as stores and dwellings. These would be torn down the coming spring to make room for an elegant bank building. The bank, prosperous from the start, had been looking for a site for a permanent home for some time. This was the most important deal that has been consummated in East Liberty since that of the Harrison property.
In May 1904, two new savings banks would open in Pittsburgh. One would be a branch institution to the Metropolitan National Bank, Lawrenceville and the other would be located at the East End and known as the Liberty Savings Bank, a part of the Liberty National Bank. The Liberty Savings Bank would have capital of $200,000 and was expected to be located in the present handsome building of the Liberty National Bank at Penn and Sheridan Avenues. The Incorporators of the Liberty Savings Bank were R.B. Ward, J.T. McCance, Thomas B. Moreland, H.H. Woods, and E.M. Bigelow, all of whom were directors or officers of the Liberty National Bank.
In January 1920, the directors were T.B. Moreland, E.H. Myers, Jr., H.P. Kuhn, J.J. Mathews, H.H. Woods, W.D. Johnston, and Clayton Potter.
In January 1922, the following directors were elected: H.H. Woods, E.H. Kuhn, Clayton Potter, J.J. Mathews, Thomas B. Moreland, and J.N. Morrow. On November 22, 1922, at a meeting of the board of directors, George L. Franklin and William A. Steinmeyer were appointed directors to fill the vacancies caused by the resignations of J.J. Mathews and H.P. Kuhn.
On Saturday, May 12, 1923, consolidation of the Liberty National Bank and the Liberty Savings Bank with the East End Savings and Trust Company, giving the East Liberty district a financial institution with assets of $9,500,000, was announced. The East End Savings and Trust Company was controlled by the Peoples Savings and Trust Company of Pittsburgh, which had resources of $25,000,000. The officials of the merging institutions announced that the consolidation was in keeping with the modern tendency of banks to combine in the interest of efficiency and economy, and in recognition of the growing importance of East Liberty as a business district. H.H. Woods, president of both institutions, would become chairman of the board of directors of the East Liberty Savings & Trust Company, and J.O. Miller, president of the trust company, would continue in that office. For three years the East End Savings & Trust Company had been controlled by the People's Savings & Trust Company. During that period, the deposits of the East Liberty institution had doubled. The Peoples Savings & Trust Company was also closely-associated with the First National Bank of Pittsburgh, with resources of $78,000,000. The consolidation gave the three affiliated institutions total resources of more than $112,000,000. All business would be transacted in the offices of the East End Savings & Trust Company’s office at Penn and Highland Avenues. East Liberty pedestrians walked on Penn Avenue Saturday at midnight, unaware that about $6,000,000 in cash and securities was being transferred in connection with the consolidation. Twenty policemen under the direction of Commissioner Jerry L. Deasy formed a cordon about the van as it moved slowly on Penn Avenue from Sheridan to Highland Avenues.
Official Bank Title(s)
1: The Liberty National Bank of Pittsburgh, PA
Bank Note Types Issued
A total of $2,698,550 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1890 and 1923. This consisted of a total of 333,508 notes (333,508 large size and No small size notes).
This bank issued the following Types and Denominations of bank notes:
Series/Type Sheet/Denoms Serial#s Sheet Comments 1882 Brown Back 4x5 1 - 13300 1882 Brown Back 3x10-20 1 - 8440 1882 Date Back 4x5 1 - 5165 1882 Date Back 3x10-20 1 - 2431 1902 Date Back 4x5 1 - 13500 1902 Date Back 3x10-20 1 - 10100 1902 Plain Back 4x5 13501 - 30545 1902 Plain Back 3x10-20 10101 - 23496
Bank Presidents and Cashiers
Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1890 - 1923):
Presidents:
- John H. McKelvy, 1890-1891
- Ernest Henry Myers, 1892-1898
- Ira Fitch Brainard, 1899-1906
- Edward M. Bigelow, 1907-1916
- Henry Hays Woods, 1917-1922
Cashiers:
- David Chalmers Kuhn, 1890-1890
- Henry Hays Woods, 1891-1916
- John Henry "Harry" Thoerner, 1917-1919
- James Smith Miller Phillips, 1920-1920
- Oscar Kapff, 1921-1922
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 Pittsburgh (Wikipedia)
- General information on Allegheny County (Wikipedia)
- General information on Pennsylvania (Wikipedia)
Sources
- Pittsburgh, PA, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh,_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
- Pittsburgh Daily Post, Pittsburgh, PA, Wed., June 18, 1890.
- Pittsburgh Daily Post, Pittsburgh, PA, Thu., Jan. 15, 1891.
- Pittsburgh Dispatch, Pittsburgh, PA, Wed., Mar. 9, 1892.
- Pittsburgh Daily Post, Pittsburgh, PA, Sun., May 22, 1904.
- Pittsburgh Daily Post, Pittsburgh, PA, Tue. Jan. 13, 1920.
- Pittsburgh Daily Post, Pittsburgh, PA, Wed., Jan. 11, 1922.
- Pittsburgh Daily Post, Pittsburgh, PA, Thu., Nov. 23, 1922.
- Pittsburgh Daily Post, Pittsburgh, PA, Mon., May 14, 1923.