The Huron State Bank was organized in 1891, with a capital stock of $10,000. The first directors were Edward Perdue, John Swartz, John Drohan, John English, David Rouse, David Rouse, Jr., and T. B. Marshall. Its first officers were Edward Perdue, president; John Swartz, vice-president, and W. C. McLain, cashier. This is one of the substantial banks of the county, and showed by one of its last statements a capital stock of $10,000, with surplus fund of $5,000.00 and deposits aggregating $80,000.00. Its officers in 1916 are as follows: Edward Perdue, president; David Rouse, Jr., vice-president, C. E. Smith, cashier, and Cloyd Smith, assistant cashier. In addition to the officers, T. B. Smith, Jr., is the fifth director.
Mr. Perdue, who is the president of this bank, is one of the leading citizens of Atchison county, and in addition to being president of the Huron bank, is also president of the First National Bank of Atchison.
C. E. Smith, the cashier, is also one of the well known and most conservative bankers of the State, and the officers and directors of this institution have reason to be proud of the splendid growth and standing of their institution.
The Farmers State Bank of Muscotah was organized and opened for business February 21, 1910, with a capital stock of $10,000. It now has a surplus and undivided account of approximately $5,000, and its deposits average $70,000. The first directors were L. Cortelyou, A. T. Cortelyou, L. Cortelyou, Jr., and H. M. Turner, who came from Moberly, Mo. W. M. Walker, of Atchison, was one of the organizers of this institution, but he sold his interest a few weeks after organization and was succeeded by William Buckles on the board of directors. L. Cortelyou was elected president, and H. M. Turner, cashier, and they have continued as the active officers of the bank. The present board of directors consists of L. Cortelyou, William Buckles, M. C. Vansell, John Sullivan, J. W. A. Miller and H. M. Turner. As this history is written it is said that there has been a consolidation of the two Muscotah banks, under the name of the Farmers State Bank. A charter has been granted and the new institution will have a capital of $15,000. L. Cortelyou is to be the president, H. M. Turner, cashier, and Ralph Allison, assistant cashier. The bank will continue to occupy the present quarters of the Farmers State Bank, and the merger, when effected, will give Muscotah one of the best banks in the county.
The Commerce Trust Company of Atchison, with a paid-up capital stock of $100,000, received its charter from the State February 11, 1916. The first meeting of the board of directors was held in the office of the Commerce Investment Company on the evening of February 19, 1916, at which time the following officers were elected: President, Sheffield Ingalls; vice-presidents, Henry Diegel, A. J. Schoenecker, M. J. Horan; treasurer, Ellsworth Ingalls; secretary, Frank H. Manglesdorf; trust officer, H. A. Schoenecker; general counsel, J. M. Challiss. The following named citizens were the first directors of the company: H. A. Schoenecker, Henry Diegel, J. C. Killarney, O. A. Simmons, A. J. Schoenecker, Ellsworth Ingalls, T. E. Snowden, Clive Hastings, M. J. Horan, F. H. Manglesdorf, H. E. Muchnic and Sheffield Ingalls. The company is a development of the Commerce Investment Company, established in 1910, and does a general trust business, as provided by the laws of Kansas. It began business March 2, 1916.
CHAPTER XVI.
CHURCHES.
METHODIST—CHRISTIAN—PRESBYTERIAN—BAPTIST—SALEM CHURCH—GERMAN EVANGELICAL ZION CHURCH—FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST—ST. PATRICK’S, MT. PLEASANT—TRINITY CHURCH, EPISCOPAL—ST. MARK’S, ENGLISH LUTHERAN—ST. BENEDICT’S ABBEY—FIRST GERMAN EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH.
Methodism was introduced into Atchison by the Rev. James Shaw, who had been a prominent member of the Detroit conference, both as pastor and missionary among the Indians along the Lake Superior district, and also as presiding elder. Being in poor health and desiring a new location, he came to Leavenworth in March, 1856, and finding that Leavenworth was already provided with a pastor, he proceeded to Atchison. He did not find Atchison very friendly toward preachers when he arrived, and the Pardee Butler incident was fresh in the minds of the people at that time. So the Rev. Mr. Shaw went farther north, to Doniphan and Geary City, which were Free State towns. He soon thereafter went to Detroit for his family, and soon after his return to Geary City, he was appointed as pastor at Atchison and Monrovia. He preached his first sermon in May, 1857, in the office of S. C. Pomeroy, which was located on the corner of Third and Commercial streets, and this was the first sermon from the lips of a preacher of any denomination that was delivered in Atchison. He organized the Methodist Episcopal church in January, 1858, with members from various denominations. The first services were held in a room in the building on the southeast corner of Second and Commercial streets. He later raised $2,000 for a new church building, S. C. Pomeroy, O. F. Short and Robert McBratney each pledging $500, on condition that the new building should be located on the north side of Parallel street, near Fifth street.
Rev. I. F. Collins succeeded Mr. Shaw, and Rev. C. H. Lovejoy, who had been preaching at Lawrence for two years, was sent to Sumner. Upon the arrival of Mr. Collins, he at once began the erection of the new church building on Parallel street, the two lots on which the building was subsequently erected being donated by the Atchison Town Company. The trustees of the church at that time were: John T. Dougherty, Edwin O. Collins, Archie C. Master, David F. Beagle, William A. Butler, Joseph H. Gilbert, Robert Hancock, Cyrus A. Comstock and Calvin W. Phelps. The church building was completed in April, 1859, and was fifty-eight feet long and thirty-two feet wide. It had a seating capacity of 350 people, and cost $3,075. The structure was dedicated May 8, 1859, and Rev. Hugh D. Fisher, the famous Free State Methodist preacher, came up from Leavenworth and assisted in the dedication. During the first year in the new church, two young men came to Atchison, who afterwards became successful and honored citizens of the town, Samuel Gard and D. C. Newcomb. They subsequently formed a partnership and conducted a drygoods store under the name of Gard & Newcomb, which for many years remained one of the leading firms of the city. Mr. Gard died many years ago, and in 1915 Mr. Newcomb still lives. The Methodist church, perhaps, owes more to D. C. Newcomb than any other man who was ever identified with it. His money, business sagacity and consecration have made possible the success of Methodism in Atchison. His motto has always been, “It is safe to do right, and unsafe to do wrong.”
Butcher, Auld & Dean, famous contractors of an early day, who built the first railroad between Atchison and St. Joseph, with their families, united with the Methodist church and became stanch supporters of it. J. C. Reisner, who came to Atchison in 1858, and his wife, Rebecca, were also prominent early members of the church. They built the Tremont House, which for a great many years was the leading hotel, located where the Burlington freight house now stands. Rev. Dr. Christian F. Reisner, pastor of Grace Church, New York City, was the youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. Reisner. The fourth session of the Kansas-Nebraska conference, which met in Omaha in May, 1859, returned Rev. Collins to Atchison, and during that year Mr. and Mrs. John M. Crowell and the McCulley brothers united with the church. In December, 1859, Abraham Lincoln, on his visit to Kansas, spoke in the little church edifice on Parallel street, reference to which has already been made in this history. In the fifth session of the Kansas-Nebraska conference, Rev. Milton Mahen was appointed to Atchison. It was a critical period in the history of the town, and the Rev. Mahen was admonished to be very cautious on the question of slavery, but he had courage and patriotism enough to order the Stars and Stripes hoisted on his church. That year T. B. Davis and his wife, Kathryn, came to Atchison and became useful members. “Grandma” Davis is living in 1916, and on February 21, 1915, celebrated her ninetieth birthday. Owing to the great drought that visited Atchison in 1860, the church did not prosper greatly during the period of Mr. Mahen’s pastorate, but in the succeeding session of the Kansas conference, which met March 21, 1861, Mr. Mahen was returned to Atchison, and it was during this year that a severe storm, which destroyed Sumner, wrecked the church building so that extensive repairs were necessary. In the seventh session of the Kansas conference, March, 1862, the Rev. Mr. James Shaw was returned to Atchison.