The Oldest Bank Building in the United States Ere^:ted in 1803 Copyrighf 1912, by C. A. Hazlett. O T" "' -♦ *3*', ^ v., ^ Being Some Interesting Facts ^^«/ PORTSMOUTH, N. H. Since the YEAR 1824 *- Published for yc Publick Goo^:* FIRST NATIONAL BANK Id PORTSMOUTH, N. H. 1912 t ^■^ ^ ■// •Pa-ft In 1824 WHEN the Piscataqua Bank, the predecessor of the Piscataqua Exchange Bank and the First National Bank, was incorporated in 1824, Portsmouth had a population of 7500 people. | It was even then an " Old Town by the Sea," ' for in the previous year it celebrated the 200th anniver- sary of its settlement. The town had five state banks with an aggregate capital of $860,000, a branch bank of the United States, and a Savings bank, which was receiving its first deposits. It had seven churches, seven school houses, one academy and 286 stores. It was using its first directory, published in 1821. The bridges to Kittery and New Castle had been in use but two years. 1824 was also memorable, as the town was entertaining Lafay- ette on his second visit with the same enthusiasm that it extended to Washington in 1789 and to President Munroe in 1817. Living room in 1824. gCI.A320093 Stage Coach. Mode of travel in 1824. mail stage ran to Boston and Concord on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. The postage for letters composed of one piece of paper was 6 cents for 30 miles, 12 cents for 100 miles, 25 cents for 450 miles. It took nearly a^week for a letter to go from Portsmouth to New York. The postage on letters to England was 33 cents and upwards. Duplicates of letters were copied with a quill pen in let- ter books. Spinning linen thread. First Rail Road Train. HE first railroad train from Boston entered Portsmouth in 1840 over the Eastern Railroad, and in 1842 over the P. S. & P. R. R. from Portland. In 1844 three trains ran to Boston and two to Portland. A bell in the tower of the " Depot" was rung before the departure of trains. "When the lookout in the belfry saw the cars on Portsmouth Bridge he rang the bell. WOOD TANKARD WARMER Candle dip. Candle mould. Betty Lamp. THE Bank was lighted with candles and whale- oil lamps until over a decade after the estab- lishment of the Portsmouth Gas Light Company in 1850. Fire was obtained by striking flint and steel, and the spark was caught in a tinder box. The first practical friction matches were " Congraves " made in England In 1827. - CANDLE QUILL PEN •""SANDER ^^^^ffF' SNUFFER PEWTER LAMP WARM INS PAN REVIOUS to the death of the first cashier in 1871 all the bank bills were signed by the cashier and president with quill pens. Ink on their letters was sprinkled with fine sand, and erasures with pounce. " Bank hours 10 A. M. to 1 P. M. and from 3 to 5 P. M. N. B. — The banks are not open Saturday afternoons after 1 o'clock." The Portsmouth Savings Bank ^as only open in its early years on Wed- nesday afternoons from 3 to 5 o'clock. ^'^'/■'/''irlMW'V Fire Place, Clock and Chairs. |N imported glass-covered clock and the comforta- ble chairs still retained in the Directors' Room were purchased by the founders of the Piscat- aqua Bank. The marble-faced clock in the main room was for half a century in the Rockingham Bank. Its works are now self-winding being connected by wires to the Western Union Telegraph office and its accuracy guaranteed. Any variation is corrected hourly. There were eight fireplaces in the Bank building: open fires were used to heat the banking rooms of the state banks, and a cheerful open fire greeted the directors of the national bank at their morning meetings. Stoves had just been placed in the North Meeting House oppo- site the bank. No heat in the meeting house except from portable foot stoves until 1821. Fire Engine in us^ in 1824. N addition to the town engines which were sup- plied with water from buckets, there were three independent fire societies in 1824 • The United, instituted in 1761, the Federal in 1789 and the Mechanics in 1811. The last two retain their organizations and hold regular meetings. Portsmouth has suffered severely from fires. On Dec. 24, 1802, 132 buildings were destroyed ; Dec. 24, 1806, 14 buildings and on Dec. 22, 1813, 241 buildings covering 15 acres with a loss of $300,000. Bank buildings were destroyed in each of these fires. > \ Some old costumes. Adjoining Buildings of U. S. Branch Bank and Piscataqua Bank, Corner Pleasant and State streets. jAMES Munroe was President when the Piscat- aqua Bank was opehed in 1824. Only 24 States constituted the Union, all but Missouri being east of the Mississippi river. Daniel Webster, after nine years residence, had left the city seven years previous. Jeremiah Mason, Levi Woodbury and Ichabod Bartlett were the leading lawyers. Lincoln was splitting logs and Grant was an infant. No resident can recall the opening of the bank. Not till after the expiration of the charter of the Piscataqua Bank was the telegraph used. The first telephone message in Portsmouth was in 1879. Portsmouth Porch. jHE first overt act against Great Britain by the colonists was the attack on Fort William and Mary on Dec. 14, 1774, instigated by a letter to Samuel Cutt, delivered by Paul Revere on his first historic Vide from Boston to Ports- mouth, Dec. 13,1774, four months before his ride to Lex- ington. The first overt act against the United States Bank was the attempt to remove Jeremiah Mason from the presidency of the Portsmouth branch, instigated by Levi Woodbury, a political opponent of Webster and Mason. Fort Constitution Portcullis. An old time Merchantman. ANY directors of the bank were retired deep-sea captains. A decade before the establishment of the bank large fortunes were made by res- ident owners of privateers. In 1824 there were registered in Portsmouth 169 vessels. The famous steam sloop Kearsarge was launched at the Portsmouth Navy Yard October 5, 1861, and sailed Feb. 5, 1862, sinking the Alabama June 16, 1864, U. S. Steam Sloop Kearsarge. MAIN BANKING ROOM !;-/fi..is peaif irtW- *K!«?/^iA>K-TtiP3J ^ ^f^ i .^ a\>S\ •9*" liF*jf* X ^'iMo; i)-•«< NNVs\ >^ V www nSX N \ \^ W n\ "^^irnitml i^^^S^j . 1 . . — i»i — i .iii— -J •^-Si^ ~- m **«;'a 'S'^V"'"' PORTSMOUTH: •\ ^M^A *'^au4 /a J,^r5'/7 i ii^aiwi i iftiP'ffiB y i .\ vX i^ n. aV><\ ".^t'i»^ M mm ^^^tmflmmnm ■ ■ _». -^^\^s^^ c TJ z :o > z o OD H I Chronology of Portsmouth Banks New Hampshire Bank incorporated 1792, expired 1842.* New Hampshire Union Bank incorporated 1802, ex- ,pired 1842.* « Portsmouth Bank incorporated 1803, expired 1843.* Rockingham Bank incorporated 18 13, succeeded by Rockingham National Bank 1865, expired 1905.* Branch Bank of the U. S. established 18 16, closed 1835.* Portsmouth Savings Bank incorporated 1823. Piscataqua Bank incorporated 1824, succeeded by Piscataqua Exchange Bank incorporated 1 844, succeeded by First National Bank 1863. Commercial Bank incorporated 1825, succeeded by Mechanics and Traders Bank 1844, succeeded by Na- tional Mechanics and Traders Bank 1865. New Hampshire Bank incorporated 1855, succeeded by New Hampshire National Bank 1865. Rockingham lo-Cent Savings Bank incorporated 1867, closed 1876.* Portsmouth Trust & Guarantee Co. incorporated 1871. Piscataqua Savings Bank incorporated 1 877. •No successor. Number i in Treasury Department Nurhber 19 in Comptroller's Dept. m The First National Bank is number i in the Treasury Department. The $30,000 U. S. 6% bonds to secure circulating notes, sent to Washington on April 9, 1863, were the first received from any bank in the United States and its bonds were kept in Box No. i, by the United States Treasurer during the term of the original charter. The act to provide a national currency was approved Feb. 5, 1863, and on March 9, application was sent to the Comptroller to establish an association, and |> 1 0,000 was paid on March 25, 1863 ; articles of asso- ciation were signed April 16, to commence business May I St ; the articles were returned for correction to comply with new rules, hence the delay in the Comp- troller's department until July 2nd, when the charter was granted for nineteen years to May i, 1882. The bank opened July 7, 1863, being number 19 on the Comp- troller's books. Pisoataqua Bank Key. United States Depository The First National Bank was among the earliest banks in the summer of 1863 to be appointed a govern- ment depository, and for nearly half a century has received the deposits of United States officials and furnished millions of currency for the large disburse- ments for the Navy Yard workmen, naval officers, ships* crews, and for yard improvements. When the govern- ment floated its loans the First National Bank took a liberal share in every issue and lent valuable assistance in placing U. S. bonds with the public. At the begin- niftg of the war in 186 1 the New Hampshire legislature not being in session, and no appropriation being availa- ble to fit out two regiments, the banks of New Hamp- shire tendered to Gov. Goodwin, the sum of $680,000, of which he accepted and expended $100,000 on his own responsibiUty. The bank of which he was a director was among the earhest to proffer assistance. Piscataqua Exchange Bank Key. Banking Locations The Piscataqua Bank opened its office in 1824 at the corner of Pleasant and State streets in the brick build- ing built by the New Hampshire Union Bank in 1814, after the third great fire. In 1835 it moved to the adjoining building on the north, vacated that year by the Branch Bank of the United States. In 1844 it moved to the present building, which it bought and occupied in common with the Portsmouth Savings Bank. The building was divided in 1 869, the First National Bank retaining the east half. The front was remodelled^in 1882 and again in 1904 with the present granite front. The building as illustrated on the cover was as it appear- ed from 1803 to 1882. The main part of the building and vault remains as originally built in 1803. It is the oldest bank building erected and continuously occupied for banking purposes in the United States. Jeremiah Mason, Levi Woodbury and his pupil President Franklin Pierce are among the many distinguished lawyers who have been tenants in this building. It was built by the original New Hampshire Bank in 1 803 on the site of the gambrel roof dwelling the east half of which was rented by the latter bank at the time of the first great fire in 1 802 which destroyed the dwelling and banking room. Banking Notes The dividend books of the three banks are preserved. Regular dividends have been declared and paid every six months without omission for eighty-eight years. In 1840 the Board of nine Directors consisted of: William Stavers William H.Y. Hackett William M. Shackford Samuel Lord Samuel E. Coues Samuel Hale Ichabod Bartlett Ichabod Rollins Ichabod Goodwin During the Russia-Japan Peace Con- ference at the Port of Portsmouth in the summer of 1905 the government of Russia placed large deposits in the First National Bank to the credit of Serge de Witte, Peace Commissioner, and his staff. ^■liii • *• « »*•"«•_•»*• • Vault Alarm Post 1912. Banking Sentiments It is the office of a well managed bank to so adminis- ter its affairs with reference to the well being of others that it shall always be ready to aid within proper Hmits legitimate enterprises for the public good. Benevolent institutions, societies, clubs and similar associations are invited as in the past to hold their meetings in the director's or committee rooms. On the walls of these rooms is a collection of old views and portraits that is worthy of examination. While the bank has referred with pride to its past history, it need not have recalled it to ,tell of its best days, for it now has larger deposits and more patrons than ever before. It claims that its methods are modern and up-to-date, and has all the latest appUances for rapid and accurate transaction of business. The deposit boxes on the main floor have been increased and convenient coupon booths provided. In the base- ment two fire and burglar proof storage vaults have been constructed and protected with the latest electrical de- vises and modern doors. The vaults are for the storage of trunks and bulky valuables. Reception and toilet rooms have been provided for lady employees and patrons of the bank. It issues travellers' checks of various denominations. These checks furnish identification' and • are cashed by banks, hotels, railroad and business houses all over the world. It wishes to assure every depositor, no matter what size the account, that the officers of this bank are inter- ested in his or her welfare, and that any advice on business and investment matters will be cordially given. Having every facility for the prompt and safe trans- action of business, it will continue to give the attention to the interest of its customers that it has for nearly a century. Vault Doors with Electric Protection. Chronology Presidents. Samuel Hale William H. Y. Hackett Ichabod Goodwin Edward P. Kimball John K. Bates Cashiers. Samuel Lord Edward P. Kimball Charles A. Hazlett 1 824- 1 844 1844-1878 1879-1882 1882-1910 1910- 1824- 1 87 1 1872-1882 1883. Long Semces The three cashiers were employed in the bank 53, 47 and 40 years respectively. Five directors have acted on the Board 53, 51, 49, 47 and 41 years respectively. For 80 years the bank messenger, his father and grandfather, have faithfully served the banks in this city. Organized 1824. No. 19. % First National Bank oj PORTSMOUTH, N. H. Directors John H, Broughton Henry A. Yeaton Wallace Hackett Charles A. Hazlett Joseph O. Hobbs John K. Bates Edward T. Kimball J. K. Bates, President C. A. Hazlett, Xreasuraf R. W. JUNKINS, ) E. C. Matthews, Jr. V Tellers J. M. McPhee ) * Katherine Sweetser, Bookkeeper i Alice M. Harden, Stenographer ^ 2\s vsv Report of t/ie Condition of the First National Bank PORTSMOUTH, N. H. Condensed Statement^ 1912 RESOURCES Loans and Discounts . . ^^42 7,360 38 U. S. Bonds . . . . . 345*707 19 Bonds, Securities, etc. . . . 195,060 54 Banking House and Fixtures . . 21,940 75 Cash, Due from Banks and U. S. Treasurer 174,446 46 $1,164,515 32 LIABILITIES Capital . . . . . $150,000 00 Surplus and Undivided Profits . . 79,668 32 Circulation , . . . .' 150,000 00 Deposits . . . . 7841847 00 $1,164,515 32 ir Piscataqua Savings Bank PORTSMOUTH, N. H. Incorporated 1877 Assets over $1,300,000.00 President Charles A. Hazlett Secretary and Treasurer Charles W. Brewster Teller Lawrence B. Wright Trustees John H. Broughton Joseph O. Hobbs North Hampton Alfred F. Howard Lewis E. Staples Henry A. Yeaton Charles A. Hazlett Wallace Hackett John K. Bates Investment Committee Board of Trustees Bank Hours: 9 A. M. to 2 P, M, Saturday, 9 A. M. to 1 P. M. mSUL!^ CONGRESS ^fimmmmf!r^i:^i!^im^j^iimw'r.vi 'Mmrir.,-^^^3i(7-- New Granite Front 1904