Peoples National Bank, Hagerstown, MD (Charter 4856)
Peoples National Bank, Hagerstown, MD (Chartered 1893 - Liquidated 1924)
Town History
Hagerstown is a city in Washington County, Maryland and the county seat of Washington County. The population of Hagerstown city proper at the 2020 census was 43,527, and the population of the Hagerstown metropolitan area (extending into West Virginia) was 269,140. Hagerstown ranks as Maryland's sixth-largest incorporated city and is the largest city in the Panhandle.
Hagerstown has a distinct topography, formed by stone ridges running from northeast to southwest through the center of town. Geography accordingly bounds its neighborhoods. These ridges consist of upper Stonehenge limestone. Many of the older buildings were built from this stone, which is easily quarried and dressed onsite. It whitens in weathering and the edgewise conglomerate and wavy laminae become distinctly visible, giving a handsome and uniquely "Cumberland Valley" appearance. Several of Hagerstown's churches are constructed of Stonehenge limestone. Its value and beauty as building rock may be seen particularly in St. John's Episcopal Church on West Antietam Street and the Presbyterian Church at the corner of Washington and Prospect Streets. Brick and concrete eventually displaced this native stone in the construction process.
Despite its semi-rural Western Maryland setting, Hagerstown is a center of transit and commerce. Interstates 81 and 70, CSX, Norfolk Southern, and the Winchester and Western railroads, and Hagerstown Regional Airport form an extensive transportation network for the city. Hagerstown is also the chief commercial and industrial hub for a greater Tri-State Area that includes much of Western Maryland as well as significant portions of South Central Pennsylvania and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. Hagerstown has often been referred to as the Hub City. A person born in Hagerstown is officially called a Hagerstonian.
Hagerstown had five National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and all five of those banks issued National Bank Notes.
Bank History
- Organized January 23, 1893
- Chartered June 14, 1893
- Succeeded Hoffman, Connor, Smith & Co.
- Liquidated November 1, 1924
- Succeeded by 12590 (Nicodemus National Bank, Hagerstown, MD)
- Circulation assumed by 12590 (Nicodemus National Bank, Hagerstown, MD)
On Monday morning, June 26, 1893, the Peoples National Bank opened its doors for business. It was organized by a number of prominent moneyed men and absorbed the banking interests of Hoffman, Connor, Smith & Co., which firm has been doing a large and successful business. The bank was favorably located on the corner of Jonathan and Washington streets and had splendidly equipped rooms.
On Monday, August 13, 1894, a committee from the Board of Directors of the Peoples National Bank were in Hagerstown inspecting different buildings. The committee consisted of Messrs. W.T. Omwake, Dan'l Hoover, A.S. Bonebrake and D.M. Good. From around 1894-1912, the bank occupied a storeroom in the Hamilton Hotel.
In May 1913, Clayton Fahrney was moving the remainder of the furniture and the five ton safe from the old building of the Peoples National Bank to their new building on the Mealey corner. The bank had purchased the residence of the late Edward W. Mealey, 101 W. Washington Street at Jonathan Street, and subsequently remodeled the dwelling for banking purposes.
In May 1915, the officers were J.L. Nicodemus, president; George W. Eyerly, vice president; Charles Edward Hilliard, cashier and J.A. Mason, Attorney.
On July 30, 1915, John Luther Nicodemus, one of the best known men in Hagerstown and one of its wealthiest citizens died at his home. Left a large fortune by his father who died in 1879, Mr. Nicodemus managed it most wisely and increased it greatly. He spent most of his life in the milling business until 1901, when he moved to Hagerstown. Since 1893, Mr. Nicodemus was the president of the Peoples National Bank of Hagerstown, a strong financial institution, and when in good health, he spent most of his time at this bank. He was also one of the organizers of the Clay County Bank of Spencer, Iowa in 1876 and this bank in 1901 became a national bank known as the First National Bank of Spencer. Mr. Nicodemus was the owner of a number of fine farms in Washington County and Boonsboro district in addition to other property there. He was also a large property owner in Hagerstown.
On November 1, 1924, permission was granted by the Comptroller of the Currency for the Peoples National Bank of Hagerstown to change its name to the Nicodemus National Bank of Hagerstown. The change in the name of the institution was brought about by the will of the late Mrs. Virginia S. Nicodemus whereby the bank was left a legacy of $100,000 to be expended for improvements upon the bank provided the name of the institution was changed to include the family name of Nicodemus and thereby become a monument to the family. The decision to change the name of the institution was made at a meeting of the bank stockholders on September 18.
Official Bank Title(s)
1: The Peoples National Bank of Hagerstown, MD
Bank Note Types Issued
A total of $1,355,050 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1893 and 1924. This consisted of a total of 108,404 notes (108,404 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 3x10-20 1 - 8160 $10s have the abnormal border variety 1882 Date Back 3x10-20 1 - 4432 $10s have the abnormal border variety 1902 Date Back 3x10-20 1 - 3900 1902 Plain Back 3x10-20 3901 - 14509
Bank Presidents and Cashiers
Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1893 - 1924):
Presidents:
- John Luther Nicodemus, 1893-1914
- Charles Edward Hilliard, 1916-1923
- Michael Finley Seibert, 1924-1924
Cashiers:
Other Bank Note Signers
- George W. Eyerly, Vice President
- There are currently no known Assistant Cashier bank note signers for this bank.
Wiki Links
- Maryland Bank Note History
- General information on Hagerstown (Wikipedia)
- General information on Washington County (Wikipedia)
- General information on Maryland (Wikipedia)
Sources
- Hagerstown, MD, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagerstown,_Maryland
- 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
- The Daily Herald, Hagerstown, MD, Mon., June 26, 1893.
- Herald and Torch Light, Hagerstown, MD, Wed., Aug. 15, 1894.
- Daily Mail, Hagerstown, MD, Fri., May 9, 1913.
- The Morning Herald, Hagerstown, MD, Fri., May 7, 1915.
- Adams County News, Gettysburg, PA, Sat., Aug. 7, 1915.
- The Morning Herald, Hagerstown, MD, Tue., Nov. 4, 1924