Mars National Bank, Mars, PA (Charter 5599)

Postcard of the Mars National Bank, ca.1930s. Courtesy of Mark Hotz

Mars National Bank, Mars, PA (Chartered 1900 - Still in business (October 2021))

Town History

Photo of the Mars National Bank building, ca.2015. Courtesy of Mark Hotz

Mars is a borough in southern Butler County about halfway between the cities of Pittsburgh and Butler. This small community is nestled in a small valley along Breakneck Creek. In 1873, Samuel Parks constructed a home and a water-powered gristmill along Breakneck Creek. Parks decided to have a post office placed in his home, so he received help from his friend Samuel Marshall to help establish it. The name of the post office became Overbrook. In 1877, the Pittsburgh, New Castle and Lake Erie Railroad was constructed through Overbrook, and had a station built there. In 1882, the name of the community was changed to Mars since the railroad already had a stop with the name "Overbrook". No one is sure how the name "Mars" came into being. Some say it was Park's wife who enjoyed astronomy, while others believe it was shortened after Samuel Marshall's name. On March 6, 1895, Mars was incorporated as a borough.

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,746 people residing in the borough and back in 1900 the population was 777.

Mars had one National Bank chartered during the Bank Note Era, and it issued National Bank Notes.

Bank History

• Organized September 5, 1900
• Chartered October 16, 1900
• Opened for business November 7, 1900
• Bank was Open past 1935
• For Bank History after 1935 see: FDIC Bank History website
• Still in business as the Mars Bank of Mars, PA. (October 2021)

Official Bank Title(s)

1: The Mars National Bank, Mars, PA

Bank Note Types Issued

Series 1882 Brown Back $20 bank note with pen signatures of E.P. Sutton, Cashier and Chris Gelbach, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

Series 1929 Type 1 $20 bank note with printed signatures of A.B. Norton, Cashier and E.P. Sutton, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

A total of $801,540 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1900 and 1935. This consisted of a total of 64,509 notes (54,144 large size and 10,365 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	3x10-20	1 - 2640
1882 Date Back	3x10-20	1 - 3800
1882 Value Back	3x10-20	3801 - 5553
1902 Plain Back	3x10-20	1 - 5343
1929 Type 1	6x10	1 - 1142
1929 Type 1	6x20	1 - 296
1929 Type 2	10	1 - 1404
1929 Type 2	20	1 - 333

Bank Presidents and Cashiers

The Mars National Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1900 - 1936):

Presidents:

• Samuel John Irvine, (Sr.), 1901-1902
• Christian Gelbach, 1903-1920
• Elmer P. Sutton, 1921-1929
• William James Sutton, 1930-1935

Cashiers:

• Charles Edwin Sheffer, 1901-1902
• Elmer P. Sutton, 1903-1920
• Averill B. Norton, 1921-1935

Other Bank Note Signers

• Clarence L. Norton, Vice-President 1916-1929 Signature

Wiki Links

• Pennsylvania Bank Note History
• General information on Mars (Wikipedia)
• General information on Butler County (Wikipedia)
• General information on Pennsylvania (Wikipedia)

Sources

• Mars, PA, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars,_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://bbdata.banknotehistory.com