It’s hard to imagine three different banking institutions in the middle of downtown Shinnston,
but that’s exactly how many were present in the early 1900’s. For this month’s photo and
column, I’ll back-track to the start of Shinnston’s first bank, The Farmers Bank.
Until 1899, the closest bank for the people in and around Shinnston involved a trip to either
Clarksburg or Fairmont. With the railroad having come through Shinnston in 1890, a few
interested persons saw the need for a bank in town that could help increase the commerce
within the city’s boundaries. The new bank was incorporated on March 31 st , 1899 and officially
opened for business in June of that year. The first officers were: Charles “Coke” Hamilton,
President and Charles Furbee, Cashier. Hamilton also operated the Shinnston Hardware and
Plumbing Company on a site near what eventually became [what many refer to as] the old
Murphy building.
The first location for the Farmers Bank was in a two story building at the southeast corner of
Pike and Walnut Streets, a location known to many as the former IOOF building. In fact, the
Odd Fellows built the original two-story building (first photo in the series shown with this
column) as a lodge hall with a storefront on the main level. The largest section of that store
front space was first occupied by the Farmers Bank. In addition to the bank and the lodge, the
building also housed an insurance office, a barbershop, the Shinnston Union Telephone
Company, and also had a bathroom—a rarity for its time!
The Odd Fellows added a third story onto this building in 1906 (middle photo of the series
shown), which also doubled the Pike Street frontage. If you look at the Walnut Street side of
the Odd Fellows building in the middle photo, then you can clearly see the brick outline of the
old building. Within the space of this newer, larger structure, the mayor’s office located in this
building as well.
As with most things in life, location is the key to a successful operation. A new bank, the First
National (which will be the topic of February’s column) opened in September 1910 at the
corner of Pike and Bridge Streets. The location there proved to be first in line for catching those
coming into town from both the streetcar traffic at Bridge Street as well as the train passengers
from the depot at Station Street.
To accommodate growth as well as be competitive, the Farmers Bank located a new piece of
property in 1913 and constructed a brand new three-story building closer to the Bridge Street
corner (shown in the third photo). The new seventeen thousand dollar three-story building
was fronted with Indiana limestone above a granite base and four massive Corinthian columns.
The interior was nicely finished with white marble and mahogany wood trim. A large analog
clock was installed in 1914 and hung outside the building for over sixty years. The officers
during its first year at the new location were: Thomas Hawker, President; John Lowe, Vice
President; Lawrence E. Hawkins, Cashier; Ira I. Weaver, Assistant Cashier; and Ralph J. Sturm,
bookkeeper.
The new location proved successful and the Farmers Bank of Shinnston prospered until the
economic contagion of The Great Depression forced its closure. In an attempt for re-growth,
the Bank of Shinnston organized in February 1932 and began leasing the building until
purchasing it in 1940. During the 1980’s, FirstBank Corporation purchased Bank of Shinnston.
Since April 28 th , 1995, WesBanco has been located at this location. In reviewing the attached
series of images, this has been the story behind the photo!