Albion State Bank
Encyclopedia
Albion State Bank was an historic structure in Albion, Oklahoma
. Albion, located amidst the rugged and rural but verdant Kiamichi Mountains
, in northeastern Pushmataha County, Oklahoma
.
The bank was built in the period of optimism immediately following Oklahoma’s statehood on November 16, 1907. Settlers considered the county to be an agricultural paradise, and logging
was an important industry in the Albion region. The town’s railroad station was an active transshipment point for timber, and the town’s early population grew rapidly.
Albion’s future commercial success seemed assured to the town’s businessmen, one of whom, John T. Bailey—who also named the town—built Albion State Bank in 1910. Bailey built the bank on the northwest corner of the public square
—no longer extant as a square; it has been bisected by U.S. Highway 271—at the corner of Pearl Street. Bailey’s brother, Edgar Bailey, operated a dentist office in the rear two rooms.
Continued and enduring prosperity eluded Albion, however, and in approximately 1927 banker Bailey transferred the bank to Talihina, Oklahoma
.
The building remained empty until 1930, when J.M. (John Melvin)Armstrong, another prominent Albion businessman, purchased it and opened a grocery store. He closed the store in 1950, converting it into his family residence, where he lived until his death in 1963. His widow continued living there until her death in 1972.
In 1975 the building was purchased by Mrs. Lorene Barnett, who operated a succession of small businesses there. In 1979, at the time of an architectural survey, the building was vacant but in good condition. Its wood plank flooring was original, and also in good condition.
The building was a one story structure constructed of red brick in a rectangular footprint. It measured 40 feet long and 25 feet wide. The windows were originally arched. The interior ceilings were of pressed copper bearing a decorative design. The original bank vault
painted with the words, “Albion State Bank” was mounted in a brick wall and was still present during the survey in 1979.
A water well
dug in approximately 1933 was outside the back door.
The architectural survey noted the bank’s “considerable integrity” due to remaining “structurally sound and essentially unaltered” and recommended it successfully for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places
.
More information on Albion may be found in the Pushmataha County Historical Society
.
See http://www.flickr.com/photos/koknor/4547890020/ for a photograph of the bank.
Albion, Oklahoma
Albion is a town in Pushmataha County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 143 at the 2000 census.- History :A United States Post Office opened at Albion, Indian Territory on December 6, 1887 and is still in operation....
. Albion, located amidst the rugged and rural but verdant Kiamichi Mountains
Kiamichi Mountains
The Kiamichi Mountains are a mountain range in southeastern Oklahoma. A subrange within the larger Ouachita Mountains that extend from Oklahoma to western Arkansas, the Kiamichi Mountains sit within Le Flore, Pushmataha, and McCurtain counties near the towns of Poteau and Albion...
, in northeastern Pushmataha County, Oklahoma
Pushmataha County, Oklahoma
-Administrative History:* Ca. 1000-1500: Caddoan Mississippian civilization at Spiro Mounds* 1492-1718: Spain* 1718-1763: France* 1763-1800: Spain* 1800-1803: France* 1803–present: United States...
.
The bank was built in the period of optimism immediately following Oklahoma’s statehood on November 16, 1907. Settlers considered the county to be an agricultural paradise, and logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
was an important industry in the Albion region. The town’s railroad station was an active transshipment point for timber, and the town’s early population grew rapidly.
Albion’s future commercial success seemed assured to the town’s businessmen, one of whom, John T. Bailey—who also named the town—built Albion State Bank in 1910. Bailey built the bank on the northwest corner of the public square
Public Square
Public Square is the central plaza in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It takes up four city blocks; Superior Avenue and Ontario Street cross through it. Cleveland's three tallest buildings, Key Tower, 200 Public Square and the Terminal Tower, face the square...
—no longer extant as a square; it has been bisected by U.S. Highway 271—at the corner of Pearl Street. Bailey’s brother, Edgar Bailey, operated a dentist office in the rear two rooms.
Continued and enduring prosperity eluded Albion, however, and in approximately 1927 banker Bailey transferred the bank to Talihina, Oklahoma
Talihina, Oklahoma
Talihina is a town in Le Flore County, Oklahoma, United States, its name originating from two Choctaw words, tully and hena, meaning iron road. Iron road is reference to the railroad that the town was built around. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area...
.
The building remained empty until 1930, when J.M. (John Melvin)Armstrong, another prominent Albion businessman, purchased it and opened a grocery store. He closed the store in 1950, converting it into his family residence, where he lived until his death in 1963. His widow continued living there until her death in 1972.
In 1975 the building was purchased by Mrs. Lorene Barnett, who operated a succession of small businesses there. In 1979, at the time of an architectural survey, the building was vacant but in good condition. Its wood plank flooring was original, and also in good condition.
The building was a one story structure constructed of red brick in a rectangular footprint. It measured 40 feet long and 25 feet wide. The windows were originally arched. The interior ceilings were of pressed copper bearing a decorative design. The original bank vault
Bank vault
A bank vault is a secure space where money, valuables, records, and documents can be stored. It is intended to protect their contents from theft, unauthorized use, fire, natural disasters, and other threats, just like a safe...
painted with the words, “Albion State Bank” was mounted in a brick wall and was still present during the survey in 1979.
A water well
Water well
A water well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, boring or drilling to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The well water is drawn by an electric submersible pump, a trash pump, a vertical turbine pump, a handpump or a mechanical pump...
dug in approximately 1933 was outside the back door.
The architectural survey noted the bank’s “considerable integrity” due to remaining “structurally sound and essentially unaltered” and recommended it successfully for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
More information on Albion may be found in the Pushmataha County Historical Society
Pushmataha County Historical Society
The Pushmataha County Historical Society is a historical society devoted to collecting and preserving the history of Pushmataha County, Oklahoma...
.
See http://www.flickr.com/photos/koknor/4547890020/ for a photograph of the bank.