Before we move on to other current stories here's something we've been meaning to do for a while now. We wanted to do more research on the Silver Bank but the files at the River Museum are skimpy at best. We got interested last spring when the ghost hunters started trying to tell us the Silver family were bad news. According to them their burial vault wasn't even allowed in the cemetery. What they failed to tell us was the fact that vault is actually in Springhill Cemetery, on the hillside next to the original entrance. It has been sadly neglected over the years and is now almost overgrown by weeds and trees.
From what we have learned so far is that the Silver family first came to Columbiana County in the early 1800s. After the death of his father Thomas H. Silver came to Wellsville to manage his father's business interests. They were varied and in 1884 he founded the Silver Bank, mainly to manage his father's estate. The bank was located at 400 Main Street, shown in the first picture.
The bank must have went bankrupt sometime in the early 1900s. There was a posting on Face Book about a 1911 newspaper article about a murder of an asset appraiser assigned to determine the value of the bank. When they found the bank vaults nearly empty many depositors were very upset.
That's where the story of the Silver Bank and why it closed comes to an end for the time being. Some day we'll see if the East Liverpool library has newspapers that go back that far. We have been told the bank building was torn down in the 1930s.
After that the next building was Miller Insurance, which is our earliest recollection of what was at that address. The business was owned and operated by the late Paul Miller. After that came Annie's Kitchen, the River Grill and today's Tonda's Place. Did we miss any?
The older pictures are copied from ones in the archives at the River Museum. The one of Miller Insurance is actually a post card.
ole nib
17 comments:
Thanks for sharing the pictures! I really appreciate learning the history behind them.
The postcard view of Miller Insurance looks much like how I remember it from the early 80s, with the exception of the vintage car details.
I didn't know the story about Silver Bank - it seems a shame such a distinctive building didn't survive nearly as long as it should have.
Curious detail: In the foreground of the Silver Bank picture, I see what appears to be the same three-rail trolley track system on Main Street that I've seen in at least one other picture on this site. It'd be great to learn more about that equipment used on them.
The Review microfilm goes back to 1879.
Phil - Although there are only 3 tracks shown in the pictures there were actually 4 - 2 parellel for the trolley going one way & 2 more parellel to them for the trolley going the other way. The fourth rail in the pictures were cropped out.
Trolleys through Wellsville ran from Beaver to Steubenville in round robin trips several times a day. They were ordinary trolley cars that ran on two sets of tracks.
nib
Thanks for the info on the Review micro film. Are we correct thinking the film is located at the EL library? It will be a new adventure for us. We've only heard about it being available.
nib
Why not put pictures up of how all our buildings in town look now, and lets here the warm and fuzzy comments. Come on Nib, get courageous. Start a movement to clean up the Village. It is great we had beautiful buildings at one time, not anymore.
Nib -
Finally found the "other picture" I mentioned earlier:
http://thevilleview.blogspot.com/2011/03/then-now-1.html
It appears that there are only 3 rails in this picture (I believe there's enough space in the shot to say a 4th rail isn't cut off in the foreground).
However, perhaps a 4th rail is hidden in the background (One potential clue: Look to the immediate right of the papers held in his left hand). Of course, that would mean that somehow the 4th rail is obscured in the rest of the photo. Is it possible that the road surface between the far two rails is high enough that it hides the 4th rail in this picture? The more I stare at it, the more I believe this to be the case.
Anyway, this is a long, drawn-out way of saying I'd love to learn more about the old trolley system.
Once again, thanks for sharing these vintage pictures!
Phil
Anon of 2/14 - Why would we do something like that? Yes, there are properties that need work. That kind of work takes money, lots of money. It's money the Village doesn't have and many of the home owners don't either.
Many of those old pictures are from a time when the economy was not only good it was flourishing in Wellsville.
We're only six weeks into the new Village administration & Council. We believe they will be working toward cleaning things up and enforcing ordinances. It's one step at a time.
If all you want to do is sit back and complain we suggest you take a deep breath and give them a chance.
nib
Phil - We think the picture of the Silver Bank was in the days of dirt streets. It's possible that the dirt was a little higher than the 4th trolley track.
We'll have to dig out on how to get info on the trolley system. There are books written on them and the early railroads written by a fellow from Pennsylvania. He spoke a couple of years ago at the River Museum. I think the trolley that went thru the ville was called the Yellow Line.
nib
You take my comment wrong. I am not complaining. I am saying lets take these pictures of how it used to be, and join together to make Wellsville what it can be. Get a vision,start a movement. Don't live in the past, move forward. Don't just talk about it, do it.
Hey Phil - Check this out about the trolleys:
http://www.eastliverpoolhistoricalsociety.org/trolley5.htm
It mentions the Wayne Cole book "Ghost Rails III" that we were thinking of. For more info the address is Colebooks, 243 Cordak Rd., darlington, PA 16115
nib
Nib -
Thanks for the info!
There a quite a few things on the East Liverpool site I wasn't aware of. Thanks for sharing.
Phil
Phil - It's a very good site. We're envious wishing Wellsville had one like it. The East Liverpool members put a lot of work into it. You can get lost for hours reading the accounts and looking at the pictures.
We had just spent a couple of hours looking for the Cole book when they put that on there yesterday.
Enjoy...
nib
I agree. It'd be great to be able to see the Wellsville Historical Society's collection on-line.
I am Thomas Hammond Silver's Grandson and have been doing some research on the family & Wellsville. Thomas H. Silver was born in Wellsville in 1855 and attended Allegheny College before entering Harvard Law School, graduating in 1878. He was Wellsville solicitor for two terms and was elected Mayor in 1882. In 1883 he resigned as Mayor to establish the Silver Banking Company.
If you look closely at the second picture and compare it to the first the insurance company appears to be in what was the first floor of the Silver Banking Company building. The windows have been made smaller but they are in the same relative location as they were originally. So are the doors.
Your comment about the building being torn down in the 1930s supports my idea that the building was damaged in the floods of 1936 and the upper floor & tower subsequently removed and the building modernized.
Thank you for posting this. Do you have a reference for the Facebook posting that you sited?
Tim - We'll have to dig out the Face Book reference when time permits. Off the top of my head it was in a Marc McCune post in the "You Know You're From Wellsville if..." section.
nib
I found Marc's post. Thank you. I had never heard that there was a kidnapping threat against my father. Very interesting!
I wish I knew the whole story surrounding the closing of the bank. When Thomas Hammond Silver died in 1919 the family was left virtually pennyless.
Tim - We were hoping you had more knowledge of the history of the bank. Some day we hope to get to the East Liverpool library. We've been told they have newspapers on micro film dating back to 1879. Hopefully we will be able to dig out some info on what happen to the bank. Our references at the River Museum deals more with the family settling in the county.
nib
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