Peoples National Bank, Greenville, SC (Charter 10635)

An 1890 sketch of the Peoples Bank Building, Greenville, South Carolina.

Peoples National Bank, Greenville, SC (Chartered 1914 - Open past 1935)

Town History

Sketch of the Peoples National Bank opened in 1926 on the corner of Washington and Laurens Streets, Greenville, South Carolina.

Greenville (/ˈɡriːnvɪl/ GREEN-vil; locally /ˈɡriːnvəl/ GREEN-vəl) is a city in and the county seat of Greenville County, South Carolina. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 census, it is the 6th-most populous city in the state. Greenville is located approximately halfway between Atlanta, Georgia, and Charlotte, North Carolina, along Interstate 85. Its metropolitan area also includes Interstates 185 and 385. Greenville is the anchor city of the Upstate, a combined statistical area with a population of 1,487,610 at the 2020 census. Greenville was the fourth fastest-growing city in the United States between 2015 and 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Numerous large companies are located within the Greenville, such as Michelin, Prisma Health, Bon Secours, and Duke Energy.

Greenville County was created in 1786. Some sources state it was named for its physical appearance, while others say the county is named after General Nathanael Greene in honor of his service in the American Revolutionary War, or after early settler Isaac Green. Lemuel J. Alston came to Greenville County in 1788 and bought 400 acres and a portion of Pearis' former plantation. In 1797 Alston used his land holdings to establish a village called Pleasantburg at Greenville Courthouse where he also built a stately mansion. In 1816, Alston's land was purchased by Vardry McBee, who then leased the Alston mansion for a summer resort before making the mansion his home from 1835 until his death in 1864. In 1824, on the northwest corner of Court Square, Col. William Toney from Charleston opened the Mansion House, the most prominent and longest-running hotel in 19th century Greenville. Across the street from the Mansion House on the northeast corner of Court Square, Dr. John Crittenden opened a small hotel under his name that later became known as the Carolina Hotel. The Mansion House was one of the few structures that would survive the devastating effects of the Civil War. Pleasantburg was renamed as Greenville in 1821 and became a village in 1831.

Considered to be the father of Greenville, McBee donated land for many structures such as churches, academies, and a cotton mill. Furman University was funded by McBee who helped bring the university to Greenville from Winnsboro, South Carolina in 1851. In 1853 McBee and other Greenville County leaders funded a new railroad called the Greenville and Columbia Railroad. Greenville boomed to around 1,000 in the 1850s due to the growth of McBee's donations and the attraction of the town as a summer resort for visitors.

Greenville in 1890 had a population of 10,000 people and did an annual business of $8,000,000. The city was located 160 miles from Atlanta, straddling the Reedy River, and was served by the Richmond and Danville Railroad. With several railroads converging there, Greenville had exceptionally good freight rates and shipping facilities. The "Pearl of the Piedmont" boasted Furman University, the Greenville female college, the Greenville business college, the Greenville conservatory of music, the Greenville military institution and a system of public and several important private schools.

Greenville had six National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and all six of those banks issued National Bank Notes.

Bank History

A 1920 advertisement with the logo for the Peoples National Bank of Greenville, South Carolina

• Organized September 28, 1914
• Chartered October 9, 1914
• Conversion of The Peoples Bank of Greenville, South Carolina
• Bank was Open past 1935
• Merged with Bankers Trust of South Carolina, N.A., Columbia, South Carolina on October 16, 1973

The Peoples Bank was first founded in 1887 and was incorporated under the laws of South Carolina with a capital stock of $200,000. In 1890 the officers were Frank Hammond, president; Jas. A. Hoyt, vice president; and Wm. C. Beacham, cashier. The directors were Jas. L. Orr, Frank Hammond, Jas. A. Hoyt, W.M. Hasgood, H.F. Means, O.P. Mills, E.H. Fullenwider, and F.W. Poe. The capital was $75,000 with undivided profits of $15,000; loans and discounts $169,500; and deposits $100,800.

By 1913, the Peoples Bank had a surplus of $50,000 and deposits of $500,000. The banking house was at 101 S. Main Street and was fitted with the most modern burglar and fireproof safes and vaults. The bank had a flourishing savings department and a foreign exchange department. The officers were Frank Hammond, president; W.M. Hagood, vice president; and W.C. Beacham, cashier. Mr. Hammond was born in Iowa, but resided in Greenville all of his life. He held a number of other offices in the city's commercial life including president of the Carolina Loan and Trust company. Mr. Hagood was a resident of Easley, South Carolina, and one of its prominent citizens. Mr. Beacham was a native of Greenville and had been in the banking business for the past 24 years.

In January 1914, the stockholders of the Peoples Bank elected the following directors: F.W. Poe, frank Hammond, H. Endel, C.H. Schwing, W.C. Beacham, W.M. Hagood, W.J. Thackston, George T. Barr, and Allen Graham. The officers re-elected were Frank Hammond, president; W.M. Hagood, vice president; and Wm. C. Beacham, cashier. T.G. Davis who had been with the bank for a number of years was elected assistant cashier, that position having just been created at the annual meeting. On January 27th, Frank Hammond, president of the Peoples Bank, died at an early hour at his home on McBee Avenue. He was a man of varied business interests having been associated with several Carolina mills and a member of the police commission of Greenville. On February 3, 1914, directors at a special session elected W.C. Beacham president; T.G. Davis cashier; and W.G. McDavid assistant cashier. Mr. McDavid had been bookkeeper under the late Mr. Hammond's administration.

On October 9, 1914, a charter was issued to the Peoples National Bank of Greenville, South Carolina, capital $200,000. William C. Beacham was president and T.G. Davis, cashier. This was a conversion of the Peoples Bank of Greenville.

In December 1919, the officers were Wm. C. Beacham, president; W.M. Hagood, vice president; T.G. Davis, cashier; and C.H. Stokes, assistant cashier. The directors were F.W. Poe, Allen J. Graham, B.E. Geer, Hyman Endel, W.J. Thackston, C.B. Earle, W.M. Hagood, and Wm. C. Beacham. The bank had capital, surplus and profits of $400,000.The Greenville News, Greenville, SC, Mon., Dec. 1, 1919.

In May 1921, the officers were Wm. C. Beacham, president; W.M. Hagood, vice president; T.G. Davis, cashier; and T.A. Roe, assistant cashier. The directors were F.W. Poe, C.B. Earle, A.G. Furman, W.C. Beacham, T.G. Davis, W.L. Patton, Hyman Endel, W.J. Thackston, B.E. Geer, W.M. Hagood, Henry T. Mills, and Allen J. Graham. The bank had capital stock of $200,000, deposits of $2,213,181.31, and total resources of $2,960,998.69.

On Friday night, September 17, 1926, a formal opening of the new home of the Peoples National Bank was held from 7 to 10 o'Clock with music furnished by the Harris Orchestra. The location was on the corner of Washington and Laurens Streets. The officers were Wm. C. Beacham, W.M. Hagood, vice president; T.G. Davis, cashier; W.L. Bentz and M.R. Sams, assistant cashiers. The directors were W.M. Hagood, Alester G. Furman, W.J. Thackston, Curran B. Earle, W.L. Patton, Henry T. Mills, Allen J. Graham, J.I. Westervelt, L.L. Barr, Wm. C. Beacham, and Thos. G. Davis.

On August 9, 1980, Ernest Patton, 81, prominent Greenville banker and businessman died at his home. He attended Furman University. In 1920 he graduated from Yale University and received an honorary doctor of laws degree from Furman in 1951. For 23 years Mr. Patton was associated with South Carolina National Bank and was chairman of the board for Peoples National Bank of Greenville from 1946-1969. A former president of the South Carolina Bankers' Association, he was a member of the executive council of the American Bankers' Association, a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Charlotte, and former president of Patton, Tilman & Bruce Company.

On Monday, October 15, 1973, The Bankers Trust of South Carolina completed its merger with the Peoples National Bank of Greenville. The combined assets were $480 million, making the bank the state's third largest. Consolidated deposits were listed at $293 million and total capital at $35 million. The resulting agreement with the Justice Department stipulated that Bankers Trust would not merge with any bank that operated offices in a county contiguous to counties in which bankers Trust had offices for a period of 10 years. W.W. Johnson was president of Bankers Trust of South Carolina, N.A., with headquarters in Columbia, South Carolina. In December, James E. Hoyt was named vice chairman at Bankers Trust. He was chairman of the board and president at Peoples National when it merged with Bankers Trust in October. Hoyt attended New York University and was a member of the first graduating class of the School of Banking of the South at Louisiana State University in 1950. He joined Peoples National as vice president in 1954 and was elected chairman in 1969. He was named president in September 1972.

Official Bank Title(s)

1: The Peoples National Bank of Greenville, SC

Bank Note Types Issued

Needed: A photo of a large size note for The Peoples National Bank of Greenville, South Carolina

1929 Type 2 $5 bank note with printed signatures of T.G. Davis, Cashier and Wm. C. Beacham, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

A total of $519,740 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1914 and 1935. This consisted of a total of 72,853 notes (5,568 large size and 67,285 small size notes).

This bank issued the following Types and Denominations of bank notes:

Series/Type	Sheet/Denoms	Serial#s	Sheet Comments
1902 Date Back	4x10	1 - 1392
1929 Type 1	6x5	1 - 3484
1929 Type 1	6x10	1 - 2350
1929 Type 2	5	1 - 20854
1929 Type 2	10	1 - 11427

Bank Presidents and Cashiers

Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1914 - 1935):

Presidents:

• William Chandler Beacham, 1915-1935

Cashiers:

• Thomas Gordon Davis Sr., 1915-1922
• Floyd Thornwell Davis, 1923-1923
• Thomas Gordon Davis Sr., 1924-1933
• Walter Lenoir Patton, 1935-1935

Other Known Bank Note Signers

• No other known bank note signers for this bank

Bank Note History Links

• Peoples National Bank, Greenville, SC History (NB Lookup)
• South Carolina Bank Note History (BNH Wiki)

Sources

• Greenville, SC, 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