First National Bank, Ligonier, PA (Charter 13658)

Ligonier National Bank Building ca1910s. The building was later used by the First National Bank in Ligonier. Courtesy Adam Stroup

First National Bank, Ligonier, PA (Chartered 1933 - Open past 1935)

Town History

The Ligonier National Bank building on Market Street/PA-711. It was also home to the National Bank of Ligonier prior to the 1930 consolidation of banking interests. Courtesy of Google Maps ca2021

Ligonier is a borough in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. The population was 1,573 at the 2010 census. Ligonier was settled in the 1760s. The borough is well known for nearby Idlewild Park (est. 1878), one of the oldest amusement parks in the country, and nearby Seven Springs Mountain Resort.

In 1758, when British forces launched a major campaign to remove French forces from the forks of the Ohio, now Pittsburgh, this spot on Loyalhanna Creek was the site of their westernmost camp before reaching the Ohio. The British maintained a large army, a virtual moving city of 6,000 people, that temporarily made Ligonier the second-most populated spot in Pennsylvania, second only to Philadelphia. Fort Ligonier was named after John Ligonier a British noble of French origin who held the rank of Field Marshal in the British Army. Eventually, the name of the settlement that grew up around the fort was shortened to Ligonier.

In 1817, the Philadelphia-Pittsburgh Turnpike was completed, a gravel road that was the precursor to today's US Route 30. Fort Ligonier was a logical place for travelers to break their journey, and with such commercial opportunities in mind, a local resident named John Ramsay (sometimes spelled Ramsey) laid out the street plan, including the space now known as the Diamond. He initially called the town Ramseytown, later changed to Wellington (after the Duke of Wellington), and finally the name was changed to Ligonier. On April 10, 1834, Ligonier was incorporated as a borough.

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

Bank History

Organized January 7, 1933
Chartered January 12, 1933 as The First National Bank in Ligonier, PA
Succeeded 13432 (Ligonier National Bank, Ligonier, PA)
Assumed circulation of 13432
Bank was Open past 1935

On January 12, 1933, The Comptroller of the Currency chartered the First National Bank in Ligonier, Ligonier, Pennsylvania, with capital of $100,000 to succeed the Ligonier National Bank. In view of the situation, the directors and officers of the Ligonier National Bank and the Mellbank Corporation organized the new institution capitalized at $100,000 and an additional $100,000 in surplus. With such assets the confidence in the bank was thought to be assured. The Mellon family have been interested in this community with strong personal ties with the people of the Ligonier Valley for a long time. The officers were R.B. Weaver, chairman of the board; C.S. Marvel president; C.G. Gonder, vice president and cashier; T.O. Seaton, assistant cashier.

On September 25, 1948, Richard K. Mellon, chairman of the Pittsburgh banking powerhouse, announced that the Ligonier First National Bank would become a branch of the Mellon National Bank & Trust Co., subject to approval by the stockholders. Harry S. Lohr, president of the Ligonier Bank would become a member of the advisory committee of the new branch bank. In October 1948, The First National Bank in Ligonier became the Ligonier Office of the Mellon National Bank and Trust Company. C.G. Gonder was vice president and cashier of the bank at that time and was retained as the manager of the newly organized branch bank.

Official Bank Title(s)

1: The First National Bank in Ligonier, PA

Bank Note Types Issued

1929 Type 1 $10 bank note with printed signatures of C.G. Gonder, Cashier and C.S. Marvel, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

A total of $92,450 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1933 and 1935. This consisted of a total of 13,409 notes (No large size and 13,409 small size notes).

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

Series/Type	Sheet/Denoms	Serial#s	Sheet Comments
1929 Type 1	6x5	1 - 526
1929 Type 1	6x10	1 - 260
1929 Type 2	5	1 - 5172
1929 Type 2	10	1 - 3521

Bank Presidents and Cashiers

Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1933 - 1936):

Presidents:

Charles S. Marvel, 1933-1935

Cashiers:

Carlos G. Gonder, 1933-1935

Other Bank Note Signers

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

Wiki Links

Sources

Ligonier, PA, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ligonier,_Pennsylvania
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
The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, PA, Sat., Jan. 14, 1933.
The Ligonier Echo, Ligonier, PA, Fri., Sep. 24, 1948.
Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, The Evening News, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Sat., Sep. 25, 1948.