Centennial Celebration of Bath State Bank!
Bath State Bank staff and directors thank all of those who helped us celebrate our 100th in June. We thank you for your trusted business throughout the past 100 years. We still have a few Centennial campfire mugs available if you would like to stop by one of our locations to pick up one. The text below is a countdown that was featured on our Facebook page during the month of June. To enjoy the photos, please visit our FB page. Thank you!
By 1922, Bath had become a hub of economic activity. It was a place where the farmers could sell their grain and livestock and purchase most everything they needed. But the town lacked a bank to facilitate the exchange, and to serve as a resource for economic growth. The farmers had to travel to College Corner, Laurel, Liberty, Oxford or Brookville to do their banking. It became evident that the creation of a local bank that could understand the needs of the local community would be essential to the continued economic growth of the Bath community. Several of the local farmers and businessmen began to discuss and develop this idea. The word was spread throughout the community that a bank was being formed, and as a result of the actions of a few visionaries, what started as a dream, soon became a reality.
Public meetings were said to have been held at the Bath School in 1923 to discuss and solicit interest for organizing the first bank in Bath. A total of 66 individuals committed to the purchase of the 250 shares of stock that were being sold. Each share of stock generated a total capital of $25,000 to start the Bank. The new stockholders were all from the surrounding area, with most purchasing from one to 10 shares of stock. This resulted in a well-balanced ownership as no single individual or family had over a 10% interest.
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Back when the original Bath State Bank building was constructed, the directors anticipated that it would be sufficient in size to handle many years of growth. Not in their wildest dreams, would they have ever suspected that someday the Bank would grow to the point where all the residential properties between the railroad and Brandywine Creek would become part of the Bank complex. In all, five lots with houses were purchased on the north side of Bath Road, with three of the homes being demolished, one being moved and one of the residences being annexed into the Bank building.
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In 1924, New York City hosted the first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and construction was complete of Wrigley Building. Calvin Coolidge was elected as United States President after the untimely death of Warren Harding. Capitol Hill had a heated discussion on the Floor that the cost of a new house ($7,720) was too expensive for the average American when the annual wage was $1,402. The “roaring twenties,” also known as the Jazz Age was in full force as the Charleston was the choice of dance. The Milky Way candy bar, Kleenex and Band-Aids strips were introduced. The "Original Hamburger with Cheese" first appeared on a menu. IBM and Mercedes-Benz was founded.
And . . . Bath State Bank opened its doors on Tuesday, June 24 that same year.
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For those of you who can remember, the banking experience of today is a far cry from what it was a mere 50 or so years ago. At that time, the Bank building really was the little hometown "bank by the side of the road." It was a small structure that housed one large Cannonball cash vault, a filing room, a lobby and a room for the board of directors.
It was home to three full time employees and one part time employee. Those were the days when the staff came to work at 9 a.m. and really did leave at 3 p.m. (banker’s hours.) They worked out of one cash drawer, renewed loans at the teller window, stored a book of counter checks under the counter for whoever needed one and fulfilled a contractual agreement on just a little more than a handshake.
Who would have thought that a mere 50 years later, it would be possible for people to bank from the convenience of their homes via the internet, that employers would be depositing paychecks directly into their employees’ accounts? Today, there are phone tellers, online and mobile banking, electronic funds transfer, ACH and a whole gambit of things that pretty much eliminate the need to go to the bank. For sure, it’s a changed world.
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Our first depositor at Bath State Bank was a Robinson youngster in the early morning of June 24, 1924. He opened a savings account with $18, and was given this souvenir pencil – yes, this exact pencil! A few years ago, his family gave this pencil to Bath State Bank as it was wrapped in a slip of paper stating the above information. Per the slip of paper, his Grandmother held this in a safe spot for him until his late-20s.
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An important part of the Bank’s story is related to a traveler who was said to have frequented the area and the Bank during the 1930’s. He was taken back by the manner to which customers were cared for and the way people were treated at the Bank. He, like many of that day, possessed a strong literary background and appropriately labeled the Bank as “The Bank by the Side of the Road that is Always a Friend to Man.”
This reference was to a poem written by Samuel Walter Foss titled “The House by the Side of the Road.” Throughout this poem and at the very end he states “Let me live in a house by the side of the road and be a friend to man.” This has a much deeper meaning than what appears on the surface. The poem maintains a theme of not judging other people, but rather offering pure friendship, understanding and sympathy.
The word “road” in the Bank’s slogan did not intend to refer to a street or highway, but rather to the path that each of us follow in life’s journey. “Friend” related to the true sense of the word, meaning that we would be there in both good times and bad.
Since that time, the Bank became known as “The Bank by the Side of the Road that is Always a Friend.”
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There’s not many banking stories quite like the Bath State Bank one. Repeatedly, the odds were against the Bank. Five years after opening its doors, the Great Depression hit and banks were dropping like flies – more than 9,000 bank failures in four year. Beyond that, there have been numerous banking crises and economic stresses. The community and the Bank have weathered through $8 hogs and a buck fifty corn.
Our resilience is a reflection of the rich agricultural community that surrounds the Bank and a reflection of the ability of the Bank to confront the challenges of the time. The people who have worked there or banked there have generally felt passionate about the Bank. It has helped thousands manage their assets, grow crops, build businesses and purchase homes. In their pathway of life, the Bank has not made judgment but stood ready to help out, in good times and in bad.
The Bath State Bank Directors who worked tirelessly to help shape and form the Bank to best fulfill the financial needs of the citizens during the Great Depression years were:
W. Scott DuBois, 1924 to 1971
Art DuBois, 1924 to 1956
A.P. Kunkel, 1924 to 1946
Wm. A. Golden, 1924 to 1945
Lawrence Goble, 1924 to 1937
Ed W. Stone, 1924 to 1937
Cecil Whiteman, 1924 to 1935
J.C. Barkley, 1924 to 1934
R.I. Miller, 1924 to 1927
O. Allen, 1924 to 1926
H.R. Myers, 1928 to 1960
I.A. Jaques, 1935 to 1942
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Of all the Directors and Officers of the Bank, none played a more significant role than Walter Scott DuBois. He appeared to have taken the lead role in the organization of the Bank in 1923, then became the first President of the Bank and held that position for almost 50 years. He relinquished the position due to ill health in 1971 at the age of 94 and died that same year.
Scott lived in the house just west of the Bank and became an icon in the lobby. He would sit in the open side of the lobby with a spittoon by the leg of his chair and the Wall Street Journal in his hand. When a farmer or local came to the Bank, it was expected that they would pull up a chair, sit awhile, catch up on what was going on around Bath, and … spit.
Scott was said to have been a shrewd businessman and that he knew the Bank’s business like the back of his hand. Each morning he would come in the Bank, walk around the counter and look over the postings from the day before. After he had fully digested the numbers, he could recite the Bank’s most current book of business from memory. He knew the total balance of loans, deposits and assets, and knew the latest year-to-date income number.
Scott would be proud of how the Bank has grown and what it has accomplished since his death; however, he probably would be terrified by the way banking is today with all of the technology and compliance requirements. He came from a more simple banking era . . . the Bank took in deposits from their neighbors and the Bank lent the money back out to their neighbors. Compliance, audit and software costs weren’t a part of the banking world.
Both of Scott’s sons, Donald and Harold (Butch) served as directors for the Bank. With Butch’s retirement from the Board in 1987, it marked the first time in the history of the Bank that a DuBois was not a director. With 63 years of continuous service to the Bank, the DuBois’ clearly had an ongoing and lasting impact on the success of the Bank.
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At the beginning of 1983, the Bank acquired the next-door residence and property owned by Verle and Gertrude Major. The Major’s purchase was one of the most interesting of the Bank’s additions over the years. Originally, the plan was to demolish the Major’s home and extend the east side of the Bank building. The architect had already begun the drawings and came to Bath for additional measurements.
A discussion ensued regarding the beauty within the Major’s home and how sad it would be to see it destroyed. After making several exterior measurements, the architect came back into the Bank and announced that he had an idea of how we could keep the house. Before long, a major remodeling of the old Bank and the annex of the Major’s home began.
Both young and old reminisced about visits to the Major’s home. The open house for the new facility was much more than just about a new Bank facility, it was about the preservation of some of Bath’s history. While additional changes have been made to that part of the facility over the years, those of us from that era still recall the portion that was the Major’s house and are quick to remember how it served as a gathering place for many of the area children over the years.
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Each spring season, we team with the American Bankers Association to promote “Teach Children to Save.” We believe that the best consumer protection is financial literacy and it starts with saving. During this time, elementary students from Liberty, College Corner and Mt. Carmel come to the Bank for a fun, educational two-hour field trip to learn about saving, interest, the route a check takes and the history of money.
In 1995, Mt. Carmel 3rd graders were our first field trip to the Bank, and we've hosted students ever since. The idea was hatched by a summer employee (Jenny Meier) who was completing her student-teaching at MCS, and was looking for a fun, educational field trip for her students. Ironically, this past month, one of the Mt. Carmel chaperones said that she recalled taking the field trip to BSB when she was in the third grade!
During the pandemic, we produced an in-house video so that students could see -- in action -- the cashing of a check, the route a check takes, how money is made and what the Bank looks like behind the scenes. We had cookies and Word Search puzzles delivered since those 2020 students missed out on their fun in-person study trip.
Since 1985, various BSB employees have served as Junior Achievement volunteers in the local K-12 classrooms, as well as Reality Days for high school students. Now, with our intermittent bank branch at Union County High School, we are educating our teenage students with the knowledge to make sound financial decisions and create lifelong saving habits as they enter adulthood. We believe that starting children on the path to saving will create good financial habits for a good core relationship.
If you have a youngster in your family, think about starting them with a Bath State Bank Kids Club account while they are young to help foster healthy savings habits. 
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Throwback Thursday: Fair Time
Pre-fair project judging can be a stressful time for project entrants. 4-Hers present their projects to volunteer judges prior to the county fair. During the past 25-plus years, Bath State Bank employees have served as 4-H judges, including the exciting Mini projects. Mini 4-Hers are typical those kids in kindergarten through 2nd grade. There’s a lot of talent in those formative years, and Bath State Bank is proud to be able to cheer on these kiddos.
In addition, Bath State Bank staff have clerked Franklin County and Union County 4-H Livestock Auctions as far back as the early 1980s. Bank employees spend countless hours as volunteers at both county auctions each summer to help the extension offices. Our Ag Dept. visited 14 county fairs last year to peruse building projects, watch livestock shows and support livestock projects.
We are proud supporters of our 4-H youth!
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Many individuals have played a key role in the leadership of the organization and have helped guide the ship through both good times and difficult times during the past 100 years. The chairmen of the Board during the past century include: Walter Scott DuBois, Donald DuBois, Harry Paulin, Gerald Hansel, Marvin Wilhelm, Keith Lanning and George Ferriell. Presidents throughout the past century include: W. Scott DuBois, Donald DuBois, John “Eddie” Hoff, Joy Thomas, Dennis Brack, George Ferriell and Branden Logue.
From the very beginning up to 1978, the same person held both the position of Chairman of the Board and the position of Bank President. Following the retirement of Donald DuBois, the two positions were segregated, and the Holding Company was formed. Here are some photos that were found in several albums.
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The doors to our first branch opened on Wed., Nov. 12th, 2008. As you may know, the West College Corner branch is located just west of the heart of College Corner, near the intersection of Nine Mile Road and U.S. 27.
In 2007, then-Bath State Bank President Dennis Brack was approached by a few townsfolk in College Corner who expressed the need for a financial institution in their area after the closure of a local bank. After a handshake through a truck window one snowy morning between the Bank’s marketing director and Farmer Groh, the Bank purchased five acres.
On May 6th, the basement was dug on the farm ground. On June 25th, the 80,000-pound vault was installed, followed by the exterior walls being raised. Since then, we have hosted many shred days, electronic recycling events, Hoxworth blood drives and other community events at this country location. On a side note, we send a shoutout of “thanks” to all the blood donors during our recent Hoxworth drive in West College Corner as it has helped save 57 lives in the tri-state area.
The BSB drive-up window at our WCC location (along with our Liberty branch), opens at 7:30 a.m. Monday thru Saturday for early-morning banking needs.
Don’t forget to stop by our West College Corner location for our Open House on Monday, June 24th during lobby hours (9 a.m.-3 p.m.) in celebration of our 100th anniversary. Watch for our banner next week. We will have homemade sugar cookies and Centennial magnets, while supplies last. Come see Melanie and the West College Corner staff!
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Bath State Bank added its third banking location on Monday, June 15, 2020, with the opening of our Liberty office on Main Street.
As we started the demolition phase of the Scaggs Oil Company canopy in mid-December 2019, we would have never thought we’d be at the forefront of a global health crisis a few months later. In a time when employment of many community folks was put on hold due to the pandemic, each one of our vendors continued to persevere under altered social-distancing working conditions. We thank them for their dedication to those circumstances. Each one of our skilled contractors played a vital role in creating a professional-looking facility for our Liberty office.
We are honored to share that the construction work was completed by 22 local community businesses. If you have not visited our Liberty branch, it is located a few blocks north of the County Courthouse on Main Street (U.S. 27.) If you haven't been back to Union County in a few years, perhaps you stopped in Scaggs for some fuel, paid a fuel oil delivery or grabbed a soda pop.
The BSB drive-up window at our Liberty location (along with our West College Corner branch), opens at 7:30 a.m. Monday thru Saturday for early-morning banking needs.
Don’t forget to stop by Liberty for our Open House on Monday, June 24th during lobby hours (9 a.m.-3 p.m.) in celebration of our 100th anniversary. Watch for our banner. We will have homemade sugar cookies and Centennial magnets, while supplies last. Come see David and the Liberty staff!
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Customer Appreciation Day (CAD) around the Bank was always big deal. Originally held during the holiday season, it was an all-day affair that would begin in the morning with coffee and doughnuts, and provide a place where customers could sit and shoot the breeze. Everybody worked diligently at decorating the Bank — working as a team. They threw together their talents and resources to make it a fun-filled day. And it was just that. Pictures from days gone by indicate that some customers would come and visit with each other before the guest of honor (Santa) would arrive. Adults, as well as children, would take the opportunity to sit on Santa’s lap. (Note: holiday photos prior to 2003.)
A few years later after outgrowing our building fire code limit with combined Santa events and Appreciation Day, CAD became observed in August with huge tents being set up outside, pulled pork sandwiches, games for the children, music for the adults and just good old-fashioned conversation with neighbors and friends. Perhaps you were lucky enough to experience our previous picnics.
CAD is a big deal for the staff, but unfortunately due to parking constraints in Bath and the size of our customer base with our additional branches, the format has changed. Yet, it is still a big deal for us to take a break every summer to say “hello” and thank you for your relationship.
We’ve come a long way since 1924. As with everything else, it’s a changed world. We’ve grown a lot but continue to pride ourselves in remaining “The Bank by the Side of the Road that is Always a Friend.”
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When calling any business, good customer service starts with a live person saying “hello” on the other end of the phone. In a day when it’s easier to have an automated phone teller, as a caller it can be extremely frustrating when you don’t know what extension number to push for assistance.
At Bath State Bank, we take care of customers the old fashioned way. When you call the Bank, we will find you the person that you need to talk with. We believe that the friendly “hello” on our side of the line is our front door Welcome Mat.
We have many people who work behind the scenes outside of the teller line and loan officers. You may never meet these fine folks, but might talk with them. Our call center, data processing and administrative professionals are all local people working in a local office. We are headquartered right here for you. Enjoy these various photos from past and present.
We remain an independent, community-owned Bank. Since 1924. Same name. Same mission. We thank our customers and shareholders for their trust in Bath State Bank.
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Bath State Bank has helped build homes for countless families, helped harvest millions of acres, helped provide education and cars for young people and fulfilled numerous financial requests. Our economic impact through our unrestricted funds at our local county foundations as well as our community support have helped our area become a better place to live.
Did you know that more than half of our employees are Union County High School graduates? Did you know that our Ag Dept. is nationally recognized as one of the top banks in the country for its service?
We just aren’t celebrating our past, we are celebrating our future as an independent, community-owned Bank.
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When Bath State Bank first opened it’s doors in 1924, there were more than 30,000 banks in America and 1,100-plus in Indiana. Today, there are only 4,578 and 92, respectively. BSB is one of the few that has withstood the test of time. That’s attributed to the perseverance, relentless leadership and pride in ownership of our forefathers. It’s what those pioneer shareholders, presidents, directors and staff gave to our Bank, and now those who continue our Mission Statement.
Throughout the past 100 years, innovation has played a critical role in the survival of our Bank. New products and services made way to loan millions of dollars and offer BSB banking products to families throughout 324 towns. Advanced processes and technologies have dramatically changed how we and our customers do business.
Who would have thought 75 years ago that we could make an electronic transfer to pay the baby-sitter or to mobile deposit a grain check from the barn. Evolving with the times, yet keeping true to our commitment and values, has helped us set our course for a bright future. Customer service is at our forefront.
We hope that you join us on MONDAY, JUNE 24th for our OPEN HOUSE celebrations in Bath, West College Corner and Liberty during lobby hours (9 a.m. – 3 p.m.)
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Yes, we do have fun while serving our customers! For the past 100 years, our style of good ole customer service has kept our customers talking about what makes Bath State Bank a unique place to do their business.
An article from “The Oxford Press” 30 years ago states, “The ‘friendly’ in friendly service is important, but even more important is the ‘service.’” Enjoy these random photos of how our employees create a fun, friendly atmosphere all the while getting business done and serving customers with a smile.
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We’ve come a long way since the pencil to paper ledger days. Over the past decade, we’ve brought to you Bank by Mouse online banking, mobile/remote deposit, digital wallet to tap and pay, eStatements, person-to-person pay, text alerts on account balances/transactions, automatic bill payments and a loan payment portal for your banking convenience.
What types of future banking enhancements would you like to see at Bath State Bank? Let us know how we can make your banking experience more convenient! What is it that we can do for you?
(Disclaimer: We receive numerous requests to get the Beechies candy coated chewing gum back in our lobby. Unfortunately, we are sad to reported that the company no longer offers the product.)
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