Union National Bank, Mount Carmel, PA (Charter 8393)

The Union National Bank of Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania ca1930s.

The Union National Bank of Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania on E. Third and Oak Streets, ca1930s. The four-story marble structure was designed by Architect William H. Lee of Shamokin and erected by Contractor George H. Keefer of Mount Carmel at a cost of more than $150,000. The building opened June 19, 1916 and the bank occupied the corner, first floor with an entrance on Oak Street and the Marble Hall Hotel lobby entrance was on Third Street with rooms occupying the entire second, third and fourth floors. Courtesy of Adam Stroup

Union National Bank, Mount Carmel, PA (Chartered 1906 - Still Open (September 2021))

Town History

The Union National Bank of Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania ca2020s. Courtesy of Google Maps

Mount Carmel is a borough in Northumberland County, located in the Coal Heritage Region of Central Pennsylvania's Susquehanna River Valley. The population was 5,725 at the 2020 census. It is located 53 miles northwest of Reading and 71 miles northeast of Harrisburg, in the Anthracite Coal Region. It is completely encompassed by Mount Carmel Township.

Sawmill operator, Albert Bradford, gave Mount Carmel its name because of its elevation and beautiful setting in the mountains. He decided that it deserved a special name and named it after the holy mountain in Israel. Mount Carmel began as a logging town. Coal wasn't discovered until 1790 by Isaac Tomlinson. It took twenty-four years until the first load of anthracite was shipped from the borough. Mount Carmel Inn was opened in 1812 by Richard Yarnall and was strategically located on the Centre Turnpike (also known as the Reading-Sunbury Road or Old Reading Road) halfway between Pottsville and Danville. During the latter part of 1854 the Philadelphia and Sunbury Railroad was completed from Shamokin to Mt. Carmel, which led to the opening and development of a number of collieries in the region. During the same year, the Locust Mountain Coal and Iron Company commenced making extensive openings and improvements upon their valuable coal lands in the vicinity of Mt. Carmel, building coal breakers for two collieries – the Coal Ridge and Locust Mountain collieries. The township was erected in 1854, formed from part of Coal Township; by 1862 the borough was incorporated within the township.

Mount Carmel was among the first towns in the country to have its streets lit by electricity. Thomas Edison placed one of his first generator plants here in 1883. The Edison Plant in Mount Carmel was the 7th in the world.

In the past, there were extensive anthracite mining interests here and in the vicinity. In earlier years, the borough had manufactories of miners' caps, cement blocks, cigars, shirts, stockings, etc., and large silk and planing mills, foundry and machine shops, a knitting mill, lumber yards, a packing plant, and wagon works. Currently that area supports light manufacturing in paper and plastics.

Mount Carmel had two National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and both of those banks issued National Bank Notes.

Bank History

Organized September 25, 1906
Chartered October 8, 1906
Bank was Open past 1935
For Bank History after 1935 see FDIC Bank History website
Still open as UNB, Mount Carmel, PA (September 2021)

The Union National Bank was the outgrowth of the old Mt. Carmel Banking Co., which was originally organized in 1894. The Union National Bank began business October 10, 1906 in the building formerly occupied by the Mount Carmel Banking Company on Oak Street. It began with Capital of $125,000 and a surplus of $37,500 with Thomas M. Righter, President; David Camp, Vice President; and George E. Berner, Cashier.

On Tuesday, January 14, 1908, the stockholders met and elected the following directors: Thos. M. Righter, David Camp, O.B. Millard, Isaac Goldschmidt, Peter A. Stief, D.D. Bolich, Geo. J. Moleski, Joe Gould, H.S. Robins, Emanuel Tasin, L.W. Weissinger, Ben Wirt, Aug. J. Schneider, E.E. White, P.A. Vought, Geo. E. Berner, and E.W. Samuel. In June, the directors were L.W. Weissinger; P.A. Stief; H.S. Robins; E.E. White; Augustus J. Schneider; George J. Moleski; D.D. Bolich; Ben. Wirt; Joe Gould; Isaac Goldsmith; Emanuel Tasin; E.W. Samuel, MD; O.B. Millard; and Preston A. Vought. One early Director, M.T. O'Connor, passed away on April 9, 1907 while performing duties as a pall bearer.

On Tuesday, January 9, 1912, the stockholders met and re-elected every member of the directorate: Thos. M. Righter, David Camp, O.B. Millard, Isaac Goldschmidt, P.A. Stief, D.D. Bolich, Geo. J. Moleski, Joe Gould, Emanuel Tasin, L.W. Weissinger, Ben Wirt, Aug. J. Schneider, E.E. White, Geo. E. Berner, E.W. Samuel, A.F. John, and H.S. Robins.

Official Bank Title(s)

1: The Union National Bank of Mount Carmel, PA

Bank Note Types Issued

1902 Red Seal $10 bank note with pen signatures of Geo. E. Berner, Cashier and Thos. M. Righter, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

1929 Type 1 $20 bank note with printed signatures of James W. Jones, B.F. Bartho, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

A total of $2,753,150 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1906 and 1935. This consisted of a total of 343,536 notes (275,852 large size and 67,684 small size notes).

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

Series/Type	Sheet/Denoms	Serial#s	Sheet Comments
1902 Red Seal	4x5	1 - 2400
1902 Red Seal	3x10-20	1 - 1960
1902 Date Back	4x5	1 - 11350
1902 Date Back	3x10-20	1 - 8760
1902 Plain Back	4x5	11351 - 38549
1902 Plain Back	3x10-20	8761 - 26054
1929 Type 1	6x5	1 - 5210
1929 Type 1	6x10	1 - 2726
1929 Type 1	6x20	1 - 794
1929 Type 2	5	1 - 9432
1929 Type 2	10	1 - 4627
1929 Type 2	20	1 - 1245

Bank Presidents and Cashiers

Union National Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1906 - 1936):

Presidents:

Cashiers:

Other Bank Note Signers

There are currently no known Vice President or Assistant Cashier bank note signers for this bank.

Wiki Links

Sources

Mount Carmel, 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://bbdata.banknotehistory.com
Mount Carmel Item, Mount Carmel, PA, Wed., Oct. 10, 1906.
Mount Carmel Item, Mount Carmel, PA, Wed., Jan. 9, 1907.
The Daily News, Mount Carmel, PA, Tue., Jan. 14, 1908.
Mount Carmel Item, Mount Carmel, PA, Sat., May 16, 1908.
The Daily News, Mount Carmel, PA, Wed., Jan. 10, 1912.
Mount Carmel Item, Mount Carmel, PA, Sat., June 17, 1916.