Plymouth National Bank, Plymouth, PA (Charter 6881)

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Plymouth National Bank at 25 East Main Street, Plymouth, Pennsylvania.

Plymouth National Bank, Plymouth, PA (Chartered 1903 - Open past 1935)

Town History

Interior showing tellers' positions and marble wainscotting, ca1910s.

Plymouth is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, located 4 miles west of Wilkes-Barre along the Susquehanna River. The population was 5,763 as of the 2020 census. In 1900 the population was 13,649, peaking at 16,996 in 1910.

The origins of Plymouth (also known as Shawnee and Shawneetown) date back to the creation of the Susquehanna Company in Windham, Connecticut, on June 18, 1753, formed to promote the settlement of certain lands along the Susquehanna in what is now northeastern Pennsylvania. This place, called "Wyoming", fell within the bounds of the charter issued in 1662 by Charles II to the Connecticut Colony. It also fell within the bounds of the charter issued by the same king in 1681 to William Penn, thus setting the stage for a conflict between the two colonies.

In 1754 at Albany, the Susquehanna Company purchased a deed to a tract of land along the Susquehanna River from the Iroquois (Six Nations) who had long held the land by right of conquest, and in 1769, John Durkee and a group of 240 Connecticut settlers created five townships, surveying their bounds, naming them Wilkesbarre (later renamed Wilkes-Barre), Nanticoke (later renamed Hanover), Pittstown (later renamed Pittston), Forty (later renamed Kingston) and Plymouth. During the summer of 1770, the settlers began to sub-divide the five townships into lots, and settlement began in earnest in 1772.

Armed men loyal to Pennsylvania twice attempted to evict the Connecticut settlers in what are known as the Pennamite-Yankee Wars. Following the American Revolution and ratification of the Articles of Confederation in 1781, Pennsylvania sued to resolve the conflict with Connecticut. A trial was held at Trenton, New Jersey, in 1782, and the conflict resolved in favor of Pennsylvania, which was granted full jurisdiction over the Susquehanna Company's lands.

As late as the 1840s, whenever high water allowed, coal from Wyoming Valley's coal mines was shipped down the Susquehanna River on wooden arks. But by the end of 1830, canal boats began to replace arks as the preferred method of transporting coal and other goods to market. In 1826, the Pennsylvania Board of Canal Commissioners began to survey the route of a new canal, to be called the North Branch Canal, to run alongside the north branch (the main branch) of the Susquehanna River from Northumberland to the New York border. The work was generally complete by the fall of 1830, and the first load of coal shipped from Wyoming Valley reached Berwick in October.

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

Bank History

Postcard of the vault door, ca1915.
  • Organized June 2, 1903
  • Chartered July 15, 1903
  • Opened for business July 15, 1903
  • Bank was Open past 1935

In March 1903, R.J. Faust, Jr., Cashier of Reedsville Bank, moved from Mount Union, Pennsylvania to Reedsville.[1] In June, Mr. Faust was elected cashier of the new national bank to be started in Plymouth.[2] In July 1903, the Plymouth National Bank had the following board of directors: John R. Powell, squib manufacturer; John Moore, county treasurer; Dr. N.H. Meyers, dentist; John Mainwaring, register of wills; Charles Kuschke, attorney; C.E. Stegmaier of the Stegmaier Brewing Company; Frank Dunn, undertaker; A.A. Sterling, cashier, People's Bank; Morris Williams, superintendent, Susquehanna Coal Co.; E.W. Davis, directors, Wyoming Valley Trust Company; C.R. Miller, furniture dealer; and J.N. Thompson, treasurer, Wyoming Valley Trust Company. The officers were John R. Powell, president; John Moore, vice president; and R.J. Faust, cashier. The bank had capital stock $100,000 and surplus $20,000.[3] The bank opened at 6 East Main Street; in 1905, it moved into larger banking facilities across the street at 25 East Main.[4]

In January 1908, stockholders elected the following directors: John R. Powell, John J. Moore, John Mainwaring, C.R. Miller, Charles Kuschke, Frank Z. Donn, C.E. Stegmaier, E.W. Davis, N.H. Myers, A.A. Sterling, C.W. Maines, J.N. Thompson and Dr. Charles L. Ashley. The officers re-elected were John R. Powell, president; John J. Moore, vice president; and R.J. Faust, Jr., cashier.[5]

On Tuesday, January 12, 1909, stockholders re-elected the board of directors with the addition of T.J. Brennan making the total fourteen. The board re-elected all officers.[6] In March 1909, R.J. Faust, Jr. resigned effective April 1st in order to accept a more lucrative position in a bank in Appalachia, Virginia. He planned to reside in Big Stone Gap located a short distance from the bank. Mr. Faust would also represent the Virginia Coal and Land Co. which was greatly interested in the banking institution and of which D.B. Wentz was president. Mr. Faust was a graduate of the Pierce College of Business, Philadelphia, and prior to coming to Plymouth was cashier of the First National Bank of Reedsville, Mifflin County, and prior to that assistant cashier of the Central Banking Co. at Mount Union where he began as messenger boy.[7]

On Tuesday, January 11, 1927, the stockholders elected the following directors: Dr. N.H. Meyers, C.R. Mainwaring, E.W. Davis, Chas. Kuschke, W.H. Haywood, S.Z. Donn, Dr. C.L. Ashley, H.J. Clarke, H.J. Freeman, George H. Durbin, and John A. Carroll. The officers were Charles Kuschke, president; Charles Ashley, vice president; and William H. Haywood, cashier.[8]

On Wednesday, March 25, 1936, about 1,200 refugees were removed from homes in Plymouth inundated with water which averaged in depth from one to 10 feet. At the Plymouth National Bank, the depth was three feet and at Wolpe's Furniture store, five feet two inches. Plymouth's flood loss was expected to reach $1,036,000 according to borough officials.[9]

On Tuesday, January 14, 1936, stockholder elected the following directors: H.J. Clark, George J. Durbin, H.L. Freeman, M.W. Gillespie, Henry S. Jones, Albert J. Llewellyn, C.R. Miller, W.J. Piszczek. The officers elected were Charles Kuschke, president; Charles L. Ashley, vice president; and Stephen Yeosock, cashier.[10]

On Saturday, April 15, 1967, the newly remodeled and expanded Plymouth National Bank was ready to celebrate its formal opening. The president was Robert D. Kuschke. Thomas Pritchard was executive vice president; Albert Wasley, vice president; Paul Paskiewicz, secretary; and John D. Thomas, cashier. The directors were Robert D. Kuschke, Thomas Pritchard, Albert Wasley, Thomas Byron Miller, Paul Paskiewicz, Harold Weil, and Stanley Fainberg.[11]

On September 30, 1974, Plymouth National Bank merged with Northeastern Bank of Pennsylvania. Northeastern Bank had assets of more than 1/2 billion dollars and was headquartered at 69 Public Square, Wilkes-Barre.[12] In its most recent financial statement Northeastern listed total deposits of $422,744,362 and total assets of $481,669,115. On the same date, Plymouth National listed total deposits of $27,811,845 and total assets of $31,231,846.[13] Northeastern Bank of Pennsylvania, formerly Northeastern National Bank of Pennsylvania converted to a state-chartered bank effective January 2, 1974. It operated 13 offices in Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Monroe Counties. Directors of both banks had announced the merger on January 12th.[14] 

In July 1958, the Northeastern Pennsylvania National Bank and Trust Company was proposed to be created by combining the Markle Banking and Trust Company of Hazleton with the Wilkes-Barre Deposit and Savings Bank and the First National Bank and Trust Company of Scranton.[15] The comptroller of the currency approved the new institution which came into existence on August 1, 1958, with Frank E. Hemelright as president.[16]

On November 24, 1974, Carl A. Propes, president and chief executive officer of Northeastern Bank of Pennsylvania announced the election of Robert D. Kuschke to the bank's board of directors. At the time of the recent merger with Northeastern Bank, Kuschke was president and chairman of the board of the former Plymouth National Bank. A graduate of Plymouth High School and Wyoming Seminary, Kuschke earned his Bachelor of Arts degree at Lafayette College. Mr. Kuschke was elected a director of the former Plymouth National Bank in 1948. In January 1965 he was elected president, succeeding his father, Charles J. Kuschke, who was one of the original directors and founders of that bank. Kuschke and his wife, the former Ruth Durbin, resided at 61 Gaylord Avenue, Plymouth. Their son, Charles J. Kuschke II, was a member of the advisory board of the Plymouth Branch of Northeastern Bank.[17]

Official Bank Title

1: The Plymouth National Bank, Plymouth, PA

Bank Note Types Issued

1902 Red Seal $20 bank note with stamped signatures of R.J. Faust, Jr., Cashier and John J. Moore, Vice President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com
1929 Type 1 $10 bank note with printed signatures of Abdiehl Phillips, Cashier and Charles Kuschke, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com
1929 Type 2 $10 bank note with printed signatures of Stephen Yeosock, Cashier and Charles Kuschke, President. Courtesy of Adam Stroup

A total of $2,335,710 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1903 and 1935. This consisted of a total of 187,912 notes (154,364 large size and 33,548 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 3x10-20 1 - 6400
1902 Date Back 3x10-20 1 - 10400
1902 Plain Back 3x10-20 10401 - 32191
1929 Type 1 6x10 1 - 3400
1929 Type 1 6x20 1 - 906
1929 Type 2 10 1 - 6080
1929 Type 2 20 1 - 1632

Bank Presidents and Cashiers

Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1903 - 1935):

Presidents:

Cashiers:

Other Known Bank Note Signers

  • No other known bank note signers for this bank

Bank Note History Links

Sources

  • Plymouth, 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
  1. ↑ Mount Union Times, Mount Union, PA, Fri., Mar. 27, 1903.
  2. ↑ Pittston Gazette, Pittston, PA, Wed., June 17, 1903.
  3. ↑ Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Thu., July 16, 1903.
  4. ↑ Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, the Evening News, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Apr. 14, 1967.
  5. ↑ Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, the Evening News, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Wed., Jan. 15, 1908.
  6. ↑ Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Tue., Jan. 12, 1909.
  7. ↑ The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Wed., Mar. 3, 1909.
  8. ↑ Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, the Evening News, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Tue., Jan. 11, 1927.
  9. ↑ The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Wed., Mar. 25, 1936.
  10. ↑ The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Wed., Jan. 15, 1936.
  11. ↑ Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, the Evening News, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Apr. 14, 1967.
  12. ↑ The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Mon., Sep. 30, 1974.
  13. ↑ The Pocono Record, Stroudsburg, PA, Fri., Sep. 6, 1974.
  14. ↑ The Pocono Record, Stroudsburg, PA, Sat., Jan. 12, 1974.
  15. ↑ The Plain Speaker, Hazleton, PA, Wed., July 2, 1958.
  16. ↑ The Times-Tribune, Scranton, PA, Fri., Aug. 1, 1958.
  17. ↑ Sunday Independent, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Sun., Nov. 24, 1974.
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