Stroudsburg NB/First-Stroudsburg NB, Stroudsburg, PA (Charter 3632)

Stroudsburg National Bank building in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, ca1920s. Courtesy of Adam Stroup

Stroudsburg National Bank/First-Stroudsburg NB, Stroudsburg, PA (Chartered 1887 - Closed (Merger) 1971)

Town History

Stroudsburg National Bank building, ca2020. Courtesy of Google Maps

Stroudsburg is a borough in Monroe County, Pennsylvania. It is in the state's Poconos region, approximately five miles from the Delaware Water Gap, at the confluence of the Brodhead, McMichaels and Pocono Creeks. It is in northeastern Pennsylvania, located just off Interstate 80, and is the county seat of Monroe County. The population was 5,927 at the 2020 census. In 1880 the population was 2,419 and it peaked in 1950 at 6,361.

The Pocono region remains Pennsylvania’s biggest tourist attraction and has nearly $1 billion in economic impact with over 8 million visitors annually. Until the mid-1960s the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad and later the Erie Lackawanna Railroad served the town with the Phoebe Snow, the Lake Cities and several other trains.

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

Bank History

• Organized January 15, 1887
• Chartered February 4, 1887
• Succeeded Stroudsburg Bank
• 1: Assumed 2787 by consolidation September 12, 1932 with title change and assumed its circulation (First National Bank, Stroudsburg, PA)
• Bank was Open past 1935
• For Bank History after 1935 see FDIC Bank History website
• Merged into First NB of Eastern Pennsylvania in Wilkes-Barre, PA September 11, 1971

At the annual reorganization meeting in January 1971, the board elected Charles Bensinger, chairman of the board; Edward Hess, vice chairman; and Francis Drake, president, Joseph A. Eisleky, vice president and cashier; Virginia H. Masters vice president and trust officer; Donald V. Dimmick and Loring Cramer, vice presidents; and Louise Baldwin and Mary E. Alleger, assistant vice presidents. Miss Alleger also was promoted from assistant secretary to secretary. Francis J. Somers was elected assistant cashier and branch manager while Arvilla Peters was assistant cashier and assistant secretary.

In Wilkes-Barre also in January 1971, application was made to the comptroller of the currency for approval to change The First National Bank of Wilkes-Barre to First National Bank of Eastern Pennsylvania. The change became effective on April 1, 1971. Effective at the close of business on Friday, September 10, the First-Stroudsburg National Bank merged with First National Bank of Eastern Pennsylvania.

Official Bank Title(s)

1: The Stroudsburg National Bank, Stroudsburg, PA

2: The First-Stroudsburg National Bank (9/12/1932), Stroudsburg, PA

Bank Note Types Issued

1882 Brown Back $5 bank note with pen signatures of John S. Fisher, Cashier and P.M. Eilenberger, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

1902 Red Seal $50 bank note, a replacement note, with pen signatures of B.S. Jacoby, Cashier and C.D. Wallace, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

1929 Type 1 $20 bank note with printed signatures of F.L. Stackhouse, Cashier and W.K. LeBar, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

1929 Type 2 $10 bank note with the second title of the bank and printed signatures of R.M. Houser, Cashier and C.L. Drake, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

A total of $3,152,330 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1887 and 1971. This consisted of a total of 383,021 notes (240,812 large size and 142,209 small size notes).

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

Series/Type	Sheet/Denoms	Serial#s	Sheet Comments
1: 1882 Brown Back	4x5	1 - 6288
1: 1882 Brown Back	3x10-20	1 - 5292
1: 1902 Red Seal	4x5	1 - 1850
1: 1902 Red Seal	3x10-20	1 - 1000
1: 1902 Red Seal	50-100	1 - 60
1: 1902 Date Back	4x5	1 - 8050
1: 1902 Date Back	3x10-20	1 - 5840
1: 1902 Date Back	3x50-100	1 - 300
1: 1902 Plain Back	4x5	8051 - 26721
1: 1902 Plain Back	3x10-20	5841 - 18722
1: 1929 Type 1	6x5	1 - 5412
1: 1929 Type 1	6x10	1 - 2566
1: 1929 Type 1	6x20	1 - 694
2: 1929 Type 1	6x5	1 - 2576
2: 1929 Type 1	6x10	1 - 2012
2: 1929 Type 1	6x20	1 - 450
2: 1929 Type 2	5	1 - 35646
2: 1929 Type 2	10	1 - 19544
2: 1929 Type 2	20	1 - 4759

Bank Presidents and Cashiers

Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1887 - 1971):

Presidents:

• Peter Madison Eilenberger, 1887-1905
• Charles Dean Wallace, 1906-1913
• Benjamin S. Jacoby, 1914-1915
• R. H. Kinter, 1916-1919
• Charles Rosenkens Turn, 1920-1929
• William Katts LeBar, 1930-1932
• Charles L. Drake, 1934-1935

Cashiers:

• John Smith Fisher, 1887-1900
• Benjamin S. Jacoby, 1901-1913
• Charles Brown Keller, Jr., 1914-1922
• Frank Learn Stackhouse, 1923-1931
• Roy M. Houser, 1932-1935

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 Stroudsburg (Wikipedia)
• General information on Monroe County (Wikipedia)
• General information on Pennsylvania (Wikipedia)

Sources

• Stroudsburg, PA, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stroudsburg,_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
• Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, The Evening News, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Mon., Jan. 18, 1971.
• The Pocono Record, Stroudsburg, PA, Wed., Feb. 3, 1971.
• Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, The Evening News, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Fri., Mar. 26, 1971.
• Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, The Evening News, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Wed., Sep. 15, 1971.