National Bank/National-Dime Bank, Shamokin, PA (Charter 6942)
National Bank/National-Dime Bank, Shamokin, PA (Chartered 1903 - Open past 1935)
Town History
Shamokin (/ʃəˈmoʊkɪn/; Saponi Algonquian Schahamokink, meaning "place of eels") (Lenape Indian language: Shahëmokink) is a city in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, surrounded by Coal Township at the western edge of the Anthracite Coal Region in central Pennsylvania's Susquehanna River Valley. It was named after a Saponi Indian village, Schahamokink. At the 2020 Census, the population was 6,942.
The first human settlement of Shamokin was probably Shawnee native migrants. A large population of Delaware Indians (also known as the Lenapes) were forcibly resettled there in the early 18th century after they lost rights to their land in the "Walking Purchase" along the eastern border of the colonial Province of Pennsylvania in the upper northern reaches of the Delaware River in 1737.
The city of present-day Shamokin lies along Shamokin Creek. Shamokin was founded in 1835 by the coal speculators John C. Boyd and Ziba Bird, it was early known as Boyd's Stone-coal Quarry, Boydtown, and New Town. The discovery of anthracite coal resources in the region, became the basis of much industry. Railroad companies, such as Reading Railroad, bought interests in coal and became major employers of the area, building railroads to ship coal to markets and controlling most jobs.
Shamokin was incorporated earlier as a borough under the Commonwealth constitution on November 9, 1864, and subsequently as a city 85 years later, on February 21, 1949. In addition to anthracite coal-mining, it became an industrial center in the 19th century, with silk and knitting mills, stocking and shirt factories, wagon shops, ironworks, and brickyards. The dominant Eagle Silk Mill became the largest textile manufacturing building under one roof in the United States.
Famous inventor, scientist and entrepreneur Thomas A. Edison (1847–1931), briefly a resident of nearby Sunbury, established the Edison Illuminating Company of Shamokin in the fall of 1882. When the Shamokin power generating station on Independence Street started on September 22, 1883, St. Edward's Roman Catholic Church which was connected, became the first church in the world to be lit by electricity.
Shamokin had five National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and all five of those banks issued National Bank Notes.
Bank History
- Organized August 29, 1903
- Chartered September 2, 1903
- 1: Succeeded 3045 (First National Bank, Shamokin, PA)
- 1: Assumed Dime Trust and Safe Deposit Company, Shamokin by consolidation December 13, 1932 with title change
- Bank was Open past 1935
The First National Bank of Shamokin was chartered on September 12, 1883. The National Bank of Shamokin opened their doors for business on Saturday morning, September 5, 1903. It succeeded the First National Bank whose twenty year charter expired that Friday.
The merger of The Dime Trust & Safe Deposit Company and The National Bank of Shamokin, two of Shamokin's most important financial institutions, was announced in October 1932. Under the terms of an agreement signed by a majority of the directors of each bank, the new name selected was The National-Dime Bank with capital of $325,000 and surplus and undivided profits of $325,000, represented by 6,500 shares at a par value of $50. The deposits of the consolidated bank were over $4 million with $6 million in resources. The stockholders approved the merger on November 9 and the Comptroller of the Currency approval came on December 13. The consolidation reduced the number of Shamokin's financial institutions from seven to six. The Dime Trust bank was chartered on May 9, 1910 with capital stock of $125,000. H. Wilson Lark, executive vice president and chairman of the finance committee of the merged bank was one of the incorporators of the Dime Trust Company and served that institution as vice president for 15 years and was the president prior to the merger.
On January 8, 1935, the stockholders elected the following directors: E.R. Leader, H. Wilson Lark, M.J. Haile, Fred D. Raker, Jr., W. Allen Rich, Ben Hirsch, J.P. Reighard, Frank A. Gable, Hon. Charles C. Lark, P.H. Fuhrmann, John F. Bevan, Chester K. Roberson, William W. Ryon, Esq., John L. Sheef, C.F. Martz, Walter M. Farrow and J.G. Strickland. The directors elected the following officers: Chester K. Robertson, chairman of the board; H. Wilson Lark, president; E. Ray Leader, vice president, C.F. Martz, vice president; Frank A. Gable, cashier; John L. Sheef, assistant cashier; Hon. Charles C. Lark, solicitor.
In April 1957, two of Shamokin's oldest financial institutions were brought together with the purchase of the Shamokin Banking and Trust Company. On May 15, 1958, purchase of the First National Bank of Trevorton was announced. Following stockholder approval it became the Trevorton Branch of the National Dime Bank on June 2.
On January 13, 1959, shareholders elected two new directors, Edward J. O'Rourke, former cashier, and Chester Yordy, former president of the First National Bank of Trevorton. Other directors were Mattison A. Burt, Leo Gribbin, Robert B. Jones, Attorney Daniel W. Kearney, Frederick D. Kessler, Attorney Frederick E. Lark, Henry W. Lark, Paul Lucas, Robert T. and William C. Kerstetter; Edward J. O'Rourke and Helen M. O'Rourke, assistant cashiers, and Attorney Frederick E. Lark, solicitors.
On January 16, 1968, the comptroller of the currency announced approval of the merger of the National-Dime Bank of Shamokin with the Pennsylvania National Bank & Trust Co., Pottsville. The Pottsville bank had deposits of $74.5 million and the Shamokin bank had $12.2 million Frederick E. Lark, president, and Robert B. Jones, vice president were added to the board of the Pottsville Bank. John W. Phillips retained the title of vice president and assumed operation of the three offices of the old National-Dime Bank. The National-Dime Bank operated three offices, two in Shamokin and one in Trevorton.
On March 15, 1968, the National-Dime Bank became the Pennsylvania National Bank and Trust Co. with Darwin S. Harter as president of the 102 year old institution. The Pennsylvania National Bank was founded in Pottsville in 1866 and the merger with the National-Dime Bank increased the number of banking offices to 15 in three counties, including Northumberland, Columbia, and Schuylkill. Besides its central office in Pottsville and new offices in Shamokin and Trevorton, the bank had offices in Ashland, Auburn, Centralia, Cressona, Girardville, Orwigsburg, Mahanoy City, Ringtown, Schulykill Haven, Tamaqua and Yorkville.
Official Bank Title(s)
1: The National Bank of Shamokin, PA
2: National-Dime Bank of (12/13/1932), Shamokin, PA
Bank Note Types Issued
A total of $2,620,960 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1903 and 1935. This consisted of a total of 329,218 notes (186,868 large size and 142,350 small size notes).
This bank issued the following Types and Denominations of bank notes:
Series/Type Sheet/Denoms Serial#s Sheet Comments 1: 1902 Red Seal 4x5 1 - 3575 1: 1902 Red Seal 3x10-20 1 - 3620 1: 1902 Date Back 4x5 1 - 7300 1: 1902 Date Back 3x10-20 1 - 5180 1: 1902 Plain Back 4x5 7301 - 23979 1: 1902 Plain Back 3x10-20 5181 - 15543 1: 1929 Type 1 6x5 1 - 8764 1: 1929 Type 1 6x10 1 - 3862 1: 1929 Type 1 6x20 1 - 1074 2: 1929 Type 1 6x5 1 - 624 2: 1929 Type 1 6x10 1 - 526 2: 1929 Type 1 6x20 1 - 106 2: 1929 Type 2 5 1 - 30874 2: 1929 Type 2 10 1 - 16396 2: 1929 Type 2 20 1 - 5344
Bank Presidents and Cashiers
Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1903 - 1936):
Presidents:
- John Mullen, 1903-1920
- Andrew D. Robertson, 1921-1927
- Edward Brennan, 1928-1932
- Henry Wilson Lark, 1934-1935
Cashiers:
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 Shamokin (Wikipedia)
- General information on Northumberland County (Wikipedia)
- General information on Pennsylvania (Wikipedia)
Sources
- Shamokin, PA, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamokin,_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
- Miners Journal, Pottsville, PA, Mon., Sep. 7, 1903.
- Mount Carmel Item, Mount Carmel, PA, Tue., Mar. 29, 1910.
- Shamokin News-Dispatch, Shamokin, PA, Mon., Oct. 10, 1932.
- Shamokin News-Dispatch, Shamokin, PA, Sat., Dec. 17, 1932.
- Shamokin News-Dispatch, Shamokin, PA, Wed., Jan. 9, 1935.
- Shamokin News-Dispatch, Shamokin, PA, Tue., June 10, 1958.
- Shamokin News-Dispatch, Shamokin, PA, Wed., Jan. 14, 1959.
- The Daily Item, Sunbury, PA, Tue., Jan. 16, 1968.
- Shamokin News-Dispatch, Shamokin, PA, Fri., Mar. 15, 1968.