First National Bank, Mason City, IA (Charter 2574)

Postcard of State Street, Mason City, Iowa, ca1900s, showing the old First National Bank (left) and the City Bank (right). Courtesy of Adam Stroup

ca. 1911 postcard of the interior of the First National Bank.

First National Bank, Mason City, IA (Chartered 1881 - Closed (Merger) 1990)

Town History

Photo of the First National Bank building as it appears today (2020).

Mason City is the county seat of Cerro Gordo County, Iowa. The first pioneer settlement was established in 1853 at the confluence of the Winnebago River and Calmus Creek. The town had several names: Shibboleth, Masonic Grove, and Masonville until Mason City was adopted in 1855, in honor of a founder's son, Mason Long. The U.S. Post Office started service to the town in 1857. Mason City was named the county seat in 1858.

During the National Bank Note Era, the population of Mason City was 1,183 in 1870, growing to 6,747 in 1900, and then 23,304 in 1930. It's highest population was 30,642 in 1960, and the current population was 27,338 in the 2020 census.

Mason City had three National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and all three issued National Bank Notes.

Bank History

Organized October 10, 1881
Chartered October 13, 1881
Succeeded Cerro Gordo County Bank (Montague & Smith)
Bank was Open past 1935
For Bank History after 1935 see FDIC Bank History website
Merged into Norwest Bank Iowa N.A., Des Moines, IA, January 1, 1990

History Highlight:

Robbed by John Dillinger and his gang on March 13, 1934 of $52,344.
Dillinger and Hamilton were wounded, and escaped to St. Paul, MN to get treated.

Official Bank Title(s)

1: The First National Bank of Mason City, IA

Bank Note Types Issued

Series 1875 SN#1 $10 bank note with pen signatures of J. V. W. Montague, Cashier and Henry I. Smith, President. Courtesy of Lyn Knight Currency Auctions www.lynknight.com

1902 Plain Back $10 bank note with printed signatures of R.P. Smith, Cashier and C.H. McNider, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions www.ha.com

1929 Type 1 $10 bank note with printed signatures of H.V. Bull, Cashier and W.G.C. Bagley, President.

A total of $3,424,060 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1881 and 1935. This consisted of a total of 275,209 notes (230,292 large size and 44,917 small size notes).

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

Series/Type	Sheet/Denoms	Serial#s
Series 1875	3x10-20	1 - 3643
1882 Brown Back	3x10-20	1 - 7300
1882 Date Back	3x10-20	1 - 14900
1882 Value Back	3x10-20	14901 - 26138
1902 Plain Back	3x10-20	1 - 20492
1929 Type 1	6x10	1 - 5426
1929 Type 1	6x20	1 - 1544
1929 Type 2	10	1 - 2737
1929 Type 2	20	1 - 360

Bank Presidents and Cashiers

First National Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1881 - 1936):

Presidents:

Henry Irving Smith, 1882-1900
Charles Henry McNider, 1901-1927
Willis Gaylord Clark Bagley, 1928-1935

Cashiers:

John Vose Wood Montague, 1882-1886
Charles Henry McNider, 1887-1900
Fred Elbridge Keeler, 1901-1902
Willis Gaylord Clark Bagley, 1908-1919
Robert Percy Smith, 1920-1927
Harold Van Epps Bull, 1928-1932
William Wesley Boyd, 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

Mason City, IA, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mason_City,_Iowa
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).
James C. Ehrhardt and Steven J. Sweeney, Iowa National Bank Notes (Okoboji, IA: The William J. Higgins, Jr. Foundation, 2006).
Banks & Bankers Historical Database (1782-1935), https://bbdata.banknotehistory.com