The Blairsville National Bank, Blairsville, PA (Charter 4919)

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Blairsville National Bank scheduled for demolition
In August 1968, the former Blairsville National Bank, a depression victim in the early 1930's, later to serve 19 years as the home of Vale Technical Institute on East Market Street at Walnut, was scheduled for demolition to make room for a Sun Oil Co. auto service center. Built in the early 1920s, the huge granite structure (see arrow) dominated the northeast corner of Market Street. The building and adjacent structure containing a drug store, tavern and several second floor apartments were purchased for the oil firm. The intersection is the busiest in Blairsville and the crossroads of Route 217 and alternate Route 72.[1]

The Blairsville National Bank, Blairsville, PA (Chartered 1893 - Liquidated 1934)

Town History

Blairsville College for Women, Blairsville, PA, founded as Blairsville Seminary in 1851.
Blairsville College for Women, Blairsville, PA, founded as Blairsville Seminary in 1851. source: Pennsylvania Photos and Documents

Blairsville is a borough in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, located 42 miles east of Pittsburgh, and on the Conemaugh River. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 3,252. In 1870, the population was 1,162, peaking in 1930 at 5,296.

Blairsville was settled in 1818 and incorporated in 1825. In the past, railway shops, foundries, machine shops, enameling plants, and manufactories of plate glass and lumber employed the residents. It was the seat of Blairsville College, a Presbyterian institution opened in 1851. In 1858 the area became heavily involved in the Underground Railroad with local families. Some of these families were the Mitchells and Van Leer Family. In a letter to Theodore Parker, a local geologist Peter Lesley stated there we over 3000 men helping the railroad in the area.

The Blairsville Armory and St. Peter's Episcopal Church and Rectory are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1902, the countryside around Blairsville became one of the first in Pennsylvania to have a woman, Anna J. Devers, appointed as a Rural Free Delivery carrier, delivering mail from the Blairsville Post Office.

Blairsville had three National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, The First National Bank (Charter 867), The Blairsville National Bank (Charter 4919), and Blairsville National Bank (Charter 13868), and all three of those banks issued National Bank Notes.

Bank History

Series of 1882 Brown Back $10-$20 proof
Series of 1882 Brown Back $10-$20 proof approved June 7, 1893 for the First National Bank of Stockton, Illinois. This bank failed to organize. The Blairsville National Bank also received charter 4919 and the proof approved in October has the normal border for $10s. The Stockton proof shows the abnormal border variety for the $10s. Courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution Archives
An 1892 advertisement for M.K. Hammond's Bank of Stockton
An 1892 advertisement for M.K. Hammond's Bank of Stockton.[2]
An advertisement from 1913
An advertisement from 1913 for the Blairsville National Bank.[3]
An advertisement from 1918 for War Savings Stamps
An advertisement from 1918 for War Savings Stamps.[4]
  • Organized June 9, 1893
  • Chartered October 11, 1893
  • Conservatorship March 20,1933
  • Liquidated March 24, 1934
  • Succeeded by 13868 (Blairsville National Bank, Blairsville, PA)
  • Circulation assumed by 13868 (Blairsville National Bank, Blairsville, PA)
In January 1893, Mr. Merwin K. Hammond operated the Bank of Stockton with capital of $60,000.[5] According to The Daily Journal, the First National Bank of Stockton was organized with a capital stock of $50,000, and M.K. Hammond, president.[6]

The Comptroller of the Currency traditionally assigned charter numbers in date sequence. The final step in the organization of a bank was the deposit of the bonds to secure circulation, so the procedure was to assign the charter number then. Next, the plates were ordered, and, in due course, notes were printed and sent to the bank. A change in procedures was instituted under Comptroller A. Barton Hepburn, an appointee of Republican President Benjamin Harrison the year before Harrison left office. Hepburn was replaced on April 26, 1893, by James H. Eckels, who was appointed by Democratic President Grover Cleveland, at the beginning of the second of Cleveland's split terms of office. Hepburn thus served in office less than 9 months. During this time of the Hepburn Experiment, the plate date on most of the first Series of 1882 plates for charters 4846 through 4928 was not the date of charter. Instead, it usually was intermediate between the dates of organization and charter. The streamlined procedure of Hepburn had its downside. The bankers in two banks that were assigned charter numbers failed to complete their organizations: The First National Banks of Perth Amboy, New Jersey (Charter 4868) and Stockton, Illinois (Charter 4919). Plates were made for both. Their charter numbers were then reassigned well out of sequence to The Chapman National Bank of Portland, Maine, and The Blairsville National Bank, Pennsylvania, chartered September 30 and October 11, 1893, respectively. Eckels, who inherited the new procedure, abandoned it by September 13, 1893, in favor of the traditional approach. Having to swallow the cost of the Perth Amboy and Stockton plates provided at least one incentive for reinstating the old procedure. Charters were once again issued chronologically after that time so no more plates for phantom banks were forthcoming.[7]

In May 1893, The Indiana Times announced that Blairsville would have a new national bank known as the Blairsville National Bank. The directors elected were John H. Devers, George Wilkinson, Thos. H. Long, L.S.W. Ray, T.C. Brown, Thomas Maher and M.L. Miller.[8] The bank purchased the Wynn property on Market Street for $3,000[9] where it would proceed at once to erect a suitable building for their business.[10] J.H. Diven received the contract to erect the Blairsville National Bank building and on July 5th began tearing down the old building.[11] The new national bank opened its doors for business on November 1st in its elegant new building just completed. John H. Devers was president and Robert M. Wilson, cashier.[12] The directors were John H. Devers, president; Dr. M.L. Miller, Sr., Dr. William Hunter, Lyman Ray, Thomas Long, W.C. Richey, and Geo. W. Wilkinson.[13]

In March 1894, Dr. W.R. Miller moved his office from the Henry Building near the Hotel Naugle to the rooms over the Blairsville National Bank.[14] The report of condition of the Blairsville National at the close of business, February 28, 1894, showed total resources of $93,207.94, with capital stock paid in $50,000, undivided profits $213.81, circulation $11,250, and individual deposits subject to check $29,120.74.[15]

In January 1899, the directors were Thos. H. Long, Geo. Wilkinson, G.M. Doty, Dr., Wm. Hunter, W.C. Richey, L.S.W. Ray, and Jno. H. Devers. The officers were Thos. H. Long, president; and Robt. W. Wilson, cashier.[16] 

On April 11, 1910, Dr. W.R. Miller and Mrs. J.B. Sayler were found guilty of manslaughter, slaying last July J. Byron Sayler, a banker of Crescent City, Illinois. John Grunden, a medicine vendor for Oklahoma, father of Mrs. Sayler, was acquitted by the jury. Punishment was fixed by the jury at 12 years' imprisonment for Dr. Miller and three years for Mrs. Sayler. J.B. Sayler was shot to death in the parlor of his home by Dr. Miller. Friends of Sayler alleged that there was a plot between Mrs. Sayler and Dr. Miller who were great frieds to get rid of Sayler. Friends alleged that Mr. Sayler precipitated his death by attacking Dr. Miller with a hatchet without provocation. Dr. Miller formerly lived at Blairsville, Pennsylvania.[17]

According to W.R. Nightingale, cashier of the First National Bank of Crescent City, Illinois, where Mr. Sayler was vice president, Sayler was slain about 10 o'clock Sunday, July 11, 1909. Mrs. Miller, wife of the doctor, had left a few days prior to visit her parents at Sharon, Pennsylvania, and Dr. Miller was taking his meals at the Sayler table and sleeping at his own home. there were also at the Sayler home at the time of the shooting John C. Grunden, father of Mrs. Sayler, and Ira Grunden, her brother. The older Grunden came recently from Ardmore, Oklahoma to become a resident of the Soldiers' Home at Danville. Goldie Sayler was sent away by her mother a few days earlier. Mr. Sayler went to a baseball game returning home about 10 p.m. He found Dr. Miller who had been at the Sayler home all day in Mrs. Sayler's company. When Sayler reached home Miller suggested that they play cards. Sayler, indignant at the physician's presence and at his attitude declined. Apparently, the men were in a war of words when Miller drew an automatic pistol from his pocket and shot Sayler four times. Dr. Miller was about 45 years old when he and Mrs. Sayler were arrested by the Sheriff of Iroquois County.[18] The jury deliberated the case for 40 hours during which time ten ballots were taken before they returned the guilty verdicts. Following their release from jail, Dr. Miller and Mrs. Sayler were married and resided in Danville.[19]

In January 1913, the Blairsville National Bank was occupying quarters that were said to be equal to any banking rooms in Western Pennsylvania. After weeks of remodeling, the bank moved on Christmas Day and opened on December 26th to the public.[20] When the idea of remodeling the old building was decided upon, the first thing definitely fixed was that what was done would have to be absolutely first-class and in keeping with modern ideas and methods. The first to strike the eye was the front. This was constructed solidly of Cleveland gray stone and was of massive proportions, possessing great architectural beauty. On each side of the entrance stood a large pillar and these were flanked and topped by devices in stone that were perfectly in keeping with the general design. Upon entering, the first thing to impress the visitor was the rich beauty of the interior. The fixtures proper were constructed of the finest quality Italian marble, solid mahogany and art bronze. The wainscoting of the large room was also the same sort of marble while the writing desks along the wall were of marble supported by bronze brackets. The room was frescoed in delicate tints with a neat design that added largely to the effectiveness of the general ensemble. The floor was also of marble which in the business department was covered with a cork carpet of a pretty pattern. The room was lighted by electric globes from the ceiling and other lights along the walls and on standards on the railing of the business counter. At the rear was the large room reserved for the use of the directors and it, too, was furnished in a manner in keeping with the other appointments. The new vault was the latest thing in mob and burglar proof vaults and there were not more than half a dozen of them in Western Pennsylvania, outside of Pittsburgh. It was 9 feet wide, 9 feet high and extended back 12 feet. It weighed 50 tons, the door alone weighing 10 tons. The vault walls were constructed of massive cast plates of manganese steel, which metal, besides being enormously strong, hard and tough, had the extraordinary property of not being softened by heating. Wherever these solid plates abutted they were ground along that joint to true planes so as to provide a metal-to-metal liquid tight joint. A series of lugs were located along all inner edges of the joints. These lugs were integral with the rest of the plates, and each lug registered with a corresponding lug on the adjoining plate.[21]

On August 7, 1913, Robert M. Wilson, late secretary and treasurer of the Savings & Trust Company of Indiana, Pennsylvania, died at his home there. He was connected with that financial institution from its organization. In the twenty years of his career in the business he had come to be regarded as an acknowledged authority on banking methods, a man of reserved opinions and unassuming exterior whose quiet strength commanded universal respect. Born on a farm near Belleville, in Mifflin County, January 1, 1863, Mr. Wilson was a son of Jefferson Taylor and Sarah Ann (Gonzales) Wilson. Mr. Wilson’s great-grandfather, John Wilson, came to this country from Ireland, settling in 1770 in the Kishacoquillas Valley in Pennsylvania. Robert M. Wilson spent his boyhood and youth on his father’s farm near Belleville, in the Kishacoquillas Valley. He attended country school until the age of twenty, when he entered the State Normal School at Indiana, graduating in the normal course in 1886 and in the scientific course in 1888. After that he was engaged in teaching for two years, as principal of the Philipsburg high school, in Centre County. In 1890 he registered as a law student in Indiana, with Hon. John P. Elkin as preceptor, was admitted to the Indiana county bar in 1892, and entered upon the practice of law at Blairsville the same year. In the fall of 1893, however, when the Blairsville National Bank was organized, he was offered the cashiership, which he accepted. The new bank opened for business on Nov. 1, 1893, and he continued as its cashier until June 1, 1903, when he resigned to accept the secretary and treasurership of the Savings & Trust Company of Indiana. He continued his association with the Blairsville National Bank, having ever after served as a member of the board of directors of that institution. His duties in the Savings & Trust Company, besides the responsibilities of secretary and treasurer, comprised those of trust officer and director.[22]

On Tuesday, January 13, 1914, the directors elected were Thomas H. Long, E.E. Lewis, L.S.W. Ray, John H. Devers, and G.M. Doty. The only change was E.E. Lewis, treasurer of the Savings and Trust Company of Indiana, was elected to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Robert M. Wilson.[23]

On Tuesday, January 12, 1915, at the annual meeting of stockholders, the following directors and officers were elected: Thomas H. Long, president; L.S.W. Ray, vice president; H.P. Rhoads, cashier; Thos. H. Long, L.S. W. Ray, John H. Devers, E.E. Lewis, and H.P. Rhoads, directors.[24]

Harry B. Baker was elected assistant cashier of the Blairsville National Bank, assuming his duties on Saturday, January 2d, 1926.[25] At the annual meeting, stockholders elected the following directors: Thomas H. Long, L.S.W. Ray, Jacob G. Geib, Dr. A.T. Rutledge, H.P. Rhoads, E.E. Lewis, Dr. J.M. Leonard, W.H. Wolff, and Jacob Brown.[26]

In January 1927, the officers and directors were re-elected. Officers re-elected were Thomas H. Long, president and chairman of the board of directors; L.S.W. Ray and E.E. Lewis, vice presidents; H.P. Rhoads, cashier and H.B. Baker, assistant cashier.[27]

Advertisement from December 1933
Advertisement from December 1933 for the new Blairsville National Bank.[28]

On Tuesday, March 7, 1933, H.P. Rhoads, president of the Blairsville National Bank, said his institution notified depositors on Monday that they could obtain money placed in the night deposit vault and that a window would be opened for making change. W.H. Sweet, Treasurer, Blairsville Savings and Trust Company, described local conditions as follows: "The officers and directors of the Blairsville banks were not aware of any request for a state or federal bank holiday, and in fact did not receive any official notice of Governor Pinchot's proclamation until 12:40 Saturday afternoon. Our banks continued to function during the regular hours until 3:00 p.m. Saturday and closed at the regular time without experiencing any unusual demands. We are a obliged to comply with President Roosevelt's proclamation by remaining closed until Friday, March 10th when banking will be resumed." The Secretary of the Treasury had issued a statement that banks could make exchanges of currency for the accommodation of customers, but were forbidden to give out gold or gold certificates.[29] On Thursday, March 23rd, the Blairsville National Bank and the Derry National Bank reopened with conservators appointed. H.P. Rhoads, president of the Blairsville National was appointed conservator. The bank was accepting new deposits that would be kept 100% liquid and on which check could be written. J.F. Kuntz, cashier of the Derry National was appointed conservator of that bank.[30]

On Monday, December 11, 1933, the new Blairsville National Bank (Charter 13868) opened for business on an unrestricted basis giving residents a real Christmas gift. A total of nearly three quarters of a million dollars tied up for nine months was now available to depositors. H.P. Rhoads was president; Dr. George Hunter, vice president; H.B. Baker, cashier; and Paul R. Gibson, assistant cashier.[31] Directors were Dr. W.L. Benz, W.E. Baughman, Dr. George Hunter, Thomas B. Miller, Nevin Montgomery, Daniel Frattura, and H.P. Rhoads.[32]

  • 11/15/1974 Merged and became part of Pittsburgh National Bank (FDIC #7944) in Jeannette, PA.
  • 02/04/1993 Changed Institution Name to PNC Bank, National Association.
  • 09/06/1996 Merged and became part of PNC Bank, National Association (FDIC #6384) in Pittsburgh, PA.

Official Bank Title

1: The Blairsville National Bank, Blairsville, PA

Bank Note Types Issued

Series of 1882 Brown Back $10-$20 proof
Series of 1882 Brown Back $10-$20 proof approved October 19, 1893 for the Blairsville National Bank (Charter 4919). Courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution Archives
1882 Date Back $20 bank note
1882 Date Back $20 bank note with stamped signatures of Thomas H. Long, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com
1902 Plain Back $20 bank note
1902 Plain Back $20 bank note with stamped signatures of H.P. Rhoads, Cashier and Thomas H. Long, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com
1929 Type 1 $20 bank note
1929 Type 1 $20 bank note with printed signatures of H.P. Rhoads, Cashier and Thomas H. Long, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

A total of $1,330,650 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1893 and 1934. This consisted of a total of 107,226 notes (85,140 large size and 22,086 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 - 2920
1882 Date Back 3x10-20 1 - 3364
1902 Date Back 3x10-20 1 - 1700
1902 Plain Back 3x10-20 1701 - 15001
1929 Type 1 6x10 1 - 2922
1929 Type 1 6x20 1 - 759

Bank Presidents and Cashiers

Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1893 - 1934):

Presidents:

Cashiers:

Other Known Bank Note Signers

Bank Note History Links

Sources

  • Blairsville, PA, 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
  • Blairsville College for Women Photograph. (no date). Blairsville College for Women Photograph. The Historical And Genealogical Society Of Indiana County, Pa; Clarence D. Stephenson Special Collection.
  1. ↑ The Indiana Gazette, Indiana, PA, Thu., Aug. 1, 1968.
  2. ↑ Stockton Herald-News, Stockton, IL, Thu., Mar. 10, 1892.
  3. ↑ The Blairsville Enterprise, Blairsville, PA, Thu., Apr. 10, 1913.
  4. ↑ The Blairsville Courier, Blairsville, PA, Fri., June 21, 1918.
  5. ↑ Stockton Herald-News, Stockton, IL, Sat., Jan. 21, 1893.
  6. ↑ The Daily Journal, Freeport, IL, Wed., May 10, 1893.
  7. ↑ Huntoon, Peter, "Plate Dates on Large Size National Bank Notes", Chapter I3, Encyclopedia of U.S. National Bank Notes.
  8. ↑ The Indiana Times, Indiana, PA, Wed., May 24, 1893.
  9. ↑ The Indiana Progress, Indiana, PA, Wed., July 26, 1893.
  10. ↑ The Indiana Times, Indiana, PA, Wed., June 21, 1893.
  11. ↑ The Indiana Gazette, Indiana, PA, Wed., July 12, 1893.
  12. ↑ The Indiana Progress, Indiana, PA, Wed., Oct. 25, 1893.
  13. ↑ The Indiana Democrat, Indiana, PA, Thu., Nov. 23, 1893.
  14. ↑ The Indiana Progress, Indiana, PA, Wed., Mar. 7, 1894.
  15. ↑ Evening Courier, Blairsville, PA, Wed., Mar. 7, 1894.
  16. ↑ Blairsville Daily Courier, Blairsville, PA, Fri., Jan. 13, 1899.
  17. ↑ The Blairsville Courier, Blairsville, PA, Fri., Apr. 15, 1910.
  18. ↑ Franklin Repository (Daily), Chambersburg, PA, Wed., July 14, 1909.
  19. ↑ The Fairbury Blade, Fairbury, IL, Fri., Apr. 28, 1944.
  20. ↑ The Indiana Gazette, Indiana, PA, Sat., Jan. 4, 1913.
  21. ↑ The Blairsville Courier, Blairsville, PA, Fri., Jan. 3, 1913.
  22. ↑ The Indiana Times, Indiana, PA, Wed., Aug. 13, 1913.
  23. ↑ Blairsville Enterprise, Blairsville, PA, Thu., Jan. 15, 1914.
  24. ↑ Blairsville Enterprise, Blairsville, PA, Thu., Jan. 14, 1915.
  25. ↑ The Indiana Weekly Messenger, Indiana, PA, Thu., Jan. 7, 1926.
  26. ↑ The Indiana Gazette, Indiana, PA, Thu., Jan. 14, 1926.
  27. ↑ The Indiana Gazette, Indiana, PA, Thu. Jan. 13, 1927.
  28. ↑ Blairsville Dispatch, Blairsville, PA, Tue., Dec. 12, 1933.
  29. ↑ Blairsville Dispatch, Blairsville, PA, Tue., Mar. 7, 1933.
  30. ↑ Blairsville Dispatch, Blairsville, PA, Fri., Mar. 24, 1933.
  31. ↑ The Indiana Progress, Indiana, PA, Wed., Dec. 13, 1933.
  32. ↑ Blairsville Dispatch, Blairsville, PA, Tue., Dec. 12, 1933.
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