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Weekly News August 7, 2006Description
I was saddened last week to see an empty lot at Broad and State Streets in Kennett Square where the old National Bank of Kennett Square had been razed. Since 1929 when it was combined with the Kennett Trust Company, it had been the community’s BANK until the late 1960’s when competition came to town in the form of branch banks from other places, savings & loans, and the like. I have many pleasant memories associated with the old bank.
My father’s uncle, T. Elwood Marshall, was president of the Kennett Trust Company in the 1920’s and he got my father to serve on the Board. When the merger took place with the National Bank of Kennett Square (in 1929), my father became the first president of the combined bank. The old Kennett Trust Company building at State and Union Streets was sold and the National Bank building became “THE BANK”. Soon the depression hit, and all banks were in trouble. The Board of Directors met twice a week in an attempt to weather the storm. Even though we were usually at Rehoboth during the summer, my father came up twice a week to chair Board meetings. Since Rehoboth was still on Standard Time all summer in the 1930’s, and Yorklyn and Kennett Square were on Daylight Saving Time, he would leave Rehoboth about 4:45 A.M. twice a week. Often, I wanted to come with him and once in a while I did. I would have fun with Ida Murray (written about recently) while my father was at work. The bank was able to keep a lot of small businesses from going under until the economy started to improve in the late ‘30’s. My father gave up the presidency in 1938 when his old friend J. Walter Jefferis took over.
My first real job was working for the bank in the summer of 1942. In the back room, I sorted checks, was occasionally allowed to add figures on a machine (which I loved), and sometimes filed something in the vault in the basement. My mother packed my lunch and I ate it in a small back room reserved for such things. One day I was busy filing in the basement some time after 4 P.M., all other employees left, and the bank was locked up I was locked in. Not knowing whom to call, I called the president, Mr. Jefferis. He asked Dick Worrall, one of the younger employees, to go back and let me out. I’m happy to say that this deed paid off for Dick; about 30 years later he was elected president of the bank. That summer of ‘42 Charles Bernard, grandfather of our Richard, was the head teller (and very popular with customers he was), and Dick Worrall and Lib Murphy were my tutors. I could not have worked with a nicer group of people. Addison “Bell” Rector was an elderly but handsome black man who was the janitor and custodian, and everyone loved Bell as well. All are gone now.
In 1955, the bank building was remodeled. In 1968, my father finally retired from the Board, and in the mid 1970’s the National Bank and Trust Company was sold out to American Bank of Reading. With the several mergers that followed, none of which were customer-friendly, and added competition from other banks in the community, the bank was closed about 2004. Having been founded in the 1880’s, it had served the community well for 120 years.
In chronological order, tomorrow evening is our last official Ice Cream Run to Woodside Farm Creamery, which attempts to combine a fun event for all who like to drive or ride over and back in our cars with a driving session for new steam car drivers similar to what was done 2 weeks ago. For continuity on the latter, the Models 76, 607, and 740 will be used and several other cars are ready if seating capacity is needed. We recommend starting at 6 P.M., and for those who leave at 7 P.M. or later, the direct route over and back is necessary because of impending darkness. Early departures can take the 10-mile route on the outbound trip. In addition to “Ice Cream”, a few of us want to determine one last time just how the A.V.R.R. signals should work, so that Bob Wilhelm can program the PLC’s accordingly and Butch can complete the wiring. We may not make it by August 18, but we haven’t given up yet.
Thursday evening, August 10, at 7:30 is our Quarterly Board of Directors meeting, and we will be convening in the reception room of the Museum. The big door will be open so those working on projects in the museum can come and go and no one will be disturbed. I should have the brake hose needed by Jerry Lucas to finish the hydraulic brake job on the Model EX. I finally got the 735 fired up Sunday and moved it to the grease rack where it can be lifted for underside cleaning and brake line installation. This can move ahead as volunteers want to work on finishing this car and making it road-worthy again. We hope to use it at Longwood Gardens on two or three September weekends.
Ron Turochy, Steve Jensen, Art Sybell and Bob Reilly moved the locomotive of “Little Toot” to the other side of the driveway last Saturday and the underground air line is installed for the whistle at the new location. Ron and Willard Robinson will want to keep working on this project so it can be used on August 18-19. I used the yellow Packard for Cam Yorkston’s daughter’s wedding reception the same day and thanks to Jim Personti, the Packard ran well.
This Saturday, August 12, at 12 noon, we are invited to the annual BRAACA summer picnic on the Hagley Museum grounds. If anyone would like to go he or she is welcome to take a car; bring a dish (usually a salad or dessert) to serve 10, and your own beverages, plates, and silverware. Ruth and I hope to go. Please let us know if you have an interest. We plan to use the Model 76 on Sunday, August 13, especially to promote ourselves at Woodside Farm in the afternoon when they are having a fund raiser there for the Hockessin Fire Company.
The annual Threshermen’s Reunion at Kinzers, PA, is from Wednesday, August 16 through Saturday, August 19 this year. If any want to go with our cars it should be on Wednesday, 8/16, as Thursday night will be our last opportunity to get the Museum in shape for our public weekend. Thanks to Jim Personti and Brent McDougall for chairing our “Twilight at Auburn Heights” events on August 18 and 19. Thanks, too, to all those who are distributing literature and to those who have offered to help with the ice cream social. There are busy days ahead! Tom
