National Traders Bank, Portland, ME (Charter 1451)
National Traders Bank, Portland, ME (Chartered 1865 - Liquidated 1908)
Town History
Portland is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area has a population of approximately 550,000 people. Historically tied to commercial shipping, the marine economy, and light industry, Portland's economy in the 21st century relies mostly on the service sector. The Port of Portland is the second-largest tonnage seaport in the New England area as of 2019. The city seal depicts a phoenix rising from ashes, a reference to Portland's recovery from four devastating fires. Portland was named after the English Isle of Portland. In turn, the city of Portland, Oregon, was named after Portland, Maine. The word Portland is derived from the Old English word Portlanda, which means "land surrounding a harbor".
In 1820, Maine was established as a state with Portland as its capital. In 1832, the capital was moved north and east to Augusta. In 1851, Maine led the nation by passing the first state law prohibiting the sale of alcohol except for "medicinal, mechanical or manufacturing purposes." The law subsequently became known as the Maine Law, as eighteen other states quickly followed. The Portland Rum Riot occurred on June 2, 1855.
In 1853, upon completion of the Grand Trunk Railway to Montreal, Portland became the primary ice-free winter seaport for Canadian exports. The Portland Company, located on Fore Street, manufactured more than six hundred 19th-century steam locomotives, as well as engines for trains and boats, fire engines and other railroad transportation equipment. The Portland Company was, for a time, the city's largest employer and many of its employees were immigrants from Canada, Ireland and Italy. Portland became a 20th-century rail hub as five additional rail lines merged into Portland Terminal Company in 1911. These rail lines also facilitated movement of returning Canadian troops from the First World War in 1919. Following nationalization of the Grand Trunk system in 1923, Canadian export traffic was diverted from Portland to Halifax, resulting in marked local economic decline. Icebreakers later enabled ships to reach Montreal in winter, drastically reducing Portland's role as a winter port for Canada.
On June 26, 1863, a Confederate raiding party led by Captain Charles Read entered the harbor at Portland leading to the Battle of Portland Harbor, one of the northernmost battles of the Civil War. The 1866 Great Fire of Portland, Maine, on July 4, 1866, ignited during the Independence Day celebration, destroyed most of the commercial buildings in the city, half the churches and hundreds of homes. More than 10,000 people were left homeless. In 1860, the population was 26,341, growing to 70,810 by 1930 and peaking at 77,634 in 1950.
Portland had 11 National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and all 11 of those banks issued National Bank Notes.
Bank History
- Organized June 27, 1865
- Chartered July 17, 1865
- Conversion of The Manufacturers and Traders Bank
- Liquidated September 15, 1908
- Absorbed by Fidelity Trust Company, Portland
On Tuesday, January 14, 1868, stockholders elected the following directors: A.K. Shurtleff, Neal Dow, Eleazer McKenney, Frederick G. Messer, and Richard O. Conant. A.K. Shurtleff, was elected president and Edward Gould, cashier.[2]
On Tuesday, January 9, 1894, stockholders re-elected the following directors: Wm. G. Davis, Richard O. Conant, Charles O. Haskell, Wm. N. Davis, and George Walker. The directors organized by choosing Wm. G. Davis, president; R.O. Conant, vice president; and John M. Gould, cashier.[3]
In September 1908, the National Traders Bank was absorbed by the Fidelity Trust Company and its affairs as a separate institution were wound up. The National Traders Bank was organized in September 1832 under the name of the Manufacturers' and Traders' Bank. Its building was located at the corner of Fore and Plum Streets. This building, along with all the other business blocks in that part of Portland, was destroyed in the great fire of July 1866. After the fire the bank occupied rooms over what became the Board of Trade building and then it moved into its quarters at 38 Exchange Street. The bank was incorporated with a capital of $100,000 which was soon increased to $150,000. In 1833 during the financial trouble throughout the country the capital was reduced to $75,000. In 1840 it was once more on a firm financial basis and the capital had since been increased several times. Its charter as a national bank was acquired in July 1865 when the name was changed to the National Traders Bank. The capital was increase to $300,000 in July 1874 and it was again reduced to $200,000 in 1900 because of the heavy taxes imposed on banks incident to the Spanish-American War. The officers and directors at the time of the organization of the bank were as follows: Joshua Richardson, president; Daniel Chamberlain, vice president; Edward Gould, cashier; Joshua Richardson, Daniel Chamberlain, Stephen Waite, Jr., Martin Gore, Benjamin Willis, Mason Greenwood, Christopher Wright, directors. Although the National Traders Bank was in existence over 75 years, there had been only two cashiers. Edward Gould, the first cashier, held that position for 60 Years. John M. Gould, who was employed at the bank for more than 50 years was cashier for 15 years after the death of Edward Gould.[4] At the time of liquidation, the directors were Leander W. Fobes, Frederick O. Conant, Walter G. Davis, George C. Frye, Charles O. Haskell, Constant Southworth, and Charles Sumner Cook. The officers were Leander W. Fobes, president; Frederick O. Conant, vice president; and John M. Gould, cashier.
The Fidelity Trust Company was chartered by the Maine Legislature in 1905 and organized in Portland with Hon. Edward P. Ricker of Poland Spring as president.[6] Among those interested in the new company were Louis B. Goodall and Fred J. Allen of Sanford and Justin M. Leavitt of Kennebunkport, who were also directors.[7] The trust company had capital $150,000 and surplus $150,000 and was located on 478 Congress Street.[8]
Official Bank Title
1: The National Traders Bank of Portland, ME
Bank Note Types Issued
A total of $1,288,950 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1865 and 1908. This consisted of a total of 98,026 notes (98,026 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 Original Series 4x5 1 - 3700 Original Series 3x10-20 1 - 2110 Original Series 50-100 1 - 1375 Series 1875 4x5 1 - 4850 Series 1875 3x10-20 1 - 2499 Series 1875 50-100 1 - 1200 1882 Brown Back 4x5 1 - 4875 1882 Brown Back 3x10-20 1 - 3100 1882 Brown Back 50-100 1 - 1156 1902 Red Seal 3x10-20 1 - 1507
Bank Presidents and Cashiers
Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1865 - 1908):
Presidents:
- Rufus Horton, 1865-1866
- Ambrose Kingman Shurtleff, 1867-1879
- Frederick G. Messer, 1880-1886
- William G. Davis, 1887-1901
- Leander Webster Fobes, 1902-1908
Cashiers:
Other Known Bank Note Signers
Bank Note History Links
Sources
- Portland, ME, 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
- ↑ Portland Sunday Telegram, Portland, ME, Sun., Sep. 20, 1908.
- ↑ The Portland Daily Press, Portland, ME, Wed., Jan. 15, 1868.
- ↑ The Portland Daily Press, Portland, ME, Wed., Jan. 10, 1894.
- ↑ Portland Sunday Telegram, Portland, ME, Sun., Sep. 20, 1908.
- ↑ Evening Express, Portland, ME, Mon., Jan. 1, 1917.
- ↑ The Industrial Journal, Bangor, ME, Mon., Jan. 1, 1906.
- ↑ Biddeford-Saco Journal, Biddeford, ME, Mon., Jan. 22, 1906.
- ↑ Biddeford-Saco Journal, Biddeford, ME, Tue., May 1, 1906.