First National Bank, Shickshinny, PA (Charter 5573)
First National Bank, Shickshinny, PA (Chartered 1900 - Open past 1935)
Town History
Shickshinny is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. Shickshinny is located at the lower end of the Wyoming Valley Coal Deposit, near a Red Ash vein that runs across the Susquehanna River. The borough is named after Shickshinny Creek, which runs through the municipality and the surrounding area. According to the book Indian Villages and Place Names in Pennsylvania (by Dr. George P. Donehoo), the community's name likely means "Fine Stream" in a local Native American language. However, according to the Shickshinny Historical Society, the name Shickshinny means "Five Mountains" in a Native American language. Five mountains, Newport, Knob, Lee, River, and Rocky, encircle the creek and borough.
Nathan Garrison and Andrew J. Eldon built the first store, located outside the old storehouse, in June 1857. But a few months after the store opened, Eldon fled to China with $3,000 of Garrison's money. It was reported that Eldon was lost in a storm at sea and drowned from the weight of gold in his pockets. The business soon closed and was bought by Nathan B. Crary. A drug store opened at the same time. It was run and managed by Stephen Bond. Shickshinny was incorporated as a borough on November 30, 1861. Shickshinny became a central hub for many farmers and businesses. A toll bridge was built in 1865 to Mocanaqua, the first of three up to 1920. The population was 630 at the 2020 census. In 1900 the population was 1,456, peaking in 1930 at 2,451.
Shickshinny had one National Bank chartered during the Bank Note Era, and it issued National Bank Notes.
Bank History
- Organized April 11, 1900
- Chartered September 11, 1900
- Bank was Open past 1935
The First National Bank of Shickshinny opened October 1, 1900, in a two-story brick building adjoining the Hotel Simpson. The officers of the new bank were: Jesse Beadle, president; R.M. Tubbs, vice president; D.Z. Mensch, cashier. The directors were Dr. M.B. Hughes, I.A. Miller, E.W. Garrison, George M. Beadle, E.B. Tustin, Jesse Beadle, R.M. Tubbs, Frank J. Post, M.I. Lowe, and D.Z. Mensch.
On January 12, 1904, the officers elected were Jesse Beadle, president; E.W. Garrison, vice president; and D.Z. Mensch, cashier. The directors were E.B. Tustin, George M. Beadle, Myron I. Low, I.A. Miller, R.M. Tubbs, Dr. M.B. Hughes, Jesse Beadle, Frank J. Post, E.W. Garrison, and D.Z. Mensch.
In January 1911, the directors elected were George M. Beadle, Jesse Beadle, D.Z. Mensch, Frank J. Post, E.W. Garrison, Myron I. Low, R.M. Tubbs, J.L. Pealer (new), B. Courtright (new), Alfred Bowlby (new), S.M. Whitsell. Jesse Beadle was elected president; D.Z. Mensch, cashier; and E.W. Garrison, vice president and assistant cashier.
On Tuesday morning, August 5, 1941, Enoch Walton Garrison died at his home on Furnace Street in the 86th year of his age. His death was not wholly unexpected by his family and friends, as there was a noticeable failing in health for a year past. E.W. Garrison was educated in the borough schools, spent an apprenticeship as a breaker boy, was a merchant in Hanover township for two years; later learned telegraphy and was an agent for the D.L. & W. Railroad at Shickshinny. He was one of the charter stockholders of the First National Bank of Shickshinny and its president at the time of his death. He also served as treasurer of the School board and Borough for many years without compensation. He was a member of Sylvania Lodge, F. & A.M. He received a fifty-year membership pin recently from that organization. Mr. Garrison enjoyed the outdoor life and was an ardent sportsman from his earliest years. He enjoyed baseball and football and regularly attended all home games. As recently as a month ago he made his last of many deep sea fishing trips. He sponsored the stocking of streams with fish at his own expense before the Game Commission took over.
Son of Pioneer Citizen Nathan Garrison, his father was the second of Shickshinny's early merchants, starting a store in 1857 before the town was incorporated. His store was on the road leading to the back country, about where the Robbins residence stood on West Union street. N.B. Crary succeeded him in the store business. After the death of the heirs of Matthias Hollenback (owner of 256 acres which embraced the Shickshinny town site) the land was purchased in 1857 by George W. and Lot Search, Nathan Garrison and N.B. Crary for $20,000. The town was plotted the same year. A division of the town site was later made, the Search brothers taking the east side of the Shickshinny creek and Crary and Garrison the lands on the west side of the creek.
Daniel Zarr Mensch, 83, prominent Shickshinny banker, died on Saturday afternoon, August 25, 1951, at the age of 83 years. Mr. Mensch was born in Bloomsburg in 1868, and graduated from Bloomsburg Normal School, after which he took a business course at the Poughkeepsie Academy. He then taught school in Franklin and Catawissa Townships of Columbia County before teaching for two years in Illinois. Returning to this section, Mr. Mensch took a position as commissioner's clerk at the Bloomsburg courthouse and resigned that post to take a position at First National Bank of Bloomsburg. When the First National Bank of Shickshinny was opened on October 1, 1900, Mr. Mensch became cashier. On the death of the late E.W. Garrison, Mr. Mensch was named president of the banking house and he held that post until September 1950, when after 50 years of banking, he retired from the post of president and was elected chairman of the board of directors. Mr. Mensch was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Shickshinny, the Rotary Club of Shickshinny, the Masons, Caldwell Consistory and Irem Temple. He was treasurer for many years of Borough Council and the Shickshinny Board of Education.
In January 1960, the officers were Noel B. Caverly, chairman of the board, president and trust officer; L.R. Whitesell, vice president; cashier and secretary, Carl E. Moore; assistant cashier, Viola K. Hughes; assistant trust officer, John Thomas. The directors were Russell H. Anderson, Arthur Burns, Noel B. Caverly, John D. Laidacker, Edgar G. Scott, L.R. Whitesell and Margaret B. Caverly.
On May 5, 1967, stockholders of the Wyoming National Bank of Wilkes-Barre voted to merge with the First National Bank of Shickshinny. Stockholders of the Shickshinny bank previously had approved the merger. Noel Caverly, president of the Wyoming National Bank, said eight shares of Wyoming National stock would be given for each share of Shickshinny stock. In addition shareholders of the Shickshinny bank received a cash dividend of $20 per share. In the consolidation, Wyoming National picked up more than $5 million in additional assets. The Shickshinny bank had assets on December 31 of $5,354,917 and Wyoming National had assets of $51,050,819. The merger was approved in June 1967.
Official Bank Title(s)
1: The First National Bank of Shickshinny, PA
Bank Note Types Issued
A total of $1,830,690 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1900 and 1935. This consisted of a total of 147,097 notes (112,232 large size and 34,865 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 - 1200 1882 Date Back 3x10-20 1 - 4810 1882 Value Back 3x10-20 4811 - 7490 1902 Plain Back 3x10-20 1 - 19368 1929 Type 1 6x10 1 - 3702 1929 Type 1 6x20 1 - 1056 1929 Type 2 10 1 - 4739 1929 Type 2 20 1 - 1578
Bank Presidents and Cashiers
Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1900 - 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
- Pennsylvania Bank Note History
- General information on Shickshinny (Wikipedia)
- General information on Luzerne County (Wikipedia)
- General information on Pennsylvania (Wikipedia)
Sources
- Shickshinny, PA, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shickshinny,_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://spmc.org/bank-note-history-project
- The Scranton Republican, Scranton, PA, Tue., Oct. 2, 1900.
- The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Wed., Jan. 13, 1904.
- Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, the Evening News, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Wed., Jan. 11, 1911.
- The Mountain Echo, Shickshinny, PA, Fri., Aug. 8, 1941.
- The Mountain Echo, Shickshinny, PA, Fri., Aug. 31, 1951.
- The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Wed., Jan. 13, 1960.
- Wilkes-Barre Record, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Sat., May 6, 1967.