Bank of Landisburg

HISTORY OF THE BANK OF LANDISBURG The Bank of Landisburg had its beginning in 1903 when an organizational meeting was held on August 19th. $10, 000.00 in capital had been raised by the selling of stock. Many familiar names were among the original stockholders: Sheibley, Jones, Wilson, Bower, Kennedy, Wertz, Dum, Kell, Loy, and Wagner. Stockholders elected directors at that August meeting and on October 19, 1903, the bank opened for business in a building located on the corner of Main & Carlisle Streets that already housed a general store. In 1905 the directors of the bank decided that the Community of Blain needed a bank. A building was rented, equipment and supplies purchased and the Blain Office opened for business. A lengthy, complicated branch application as required today was unheard of at that time. Apparently, The Bank of Landisburg was profitable because in 1918 new bank buildings were built in both Landisburg and Blain. In Landisburg, the bank moved from the southwest corner of Main & Carlisle Streets to the northwest corner of those streets. A house had to be moved before the new bank building was constructed on that site. In Blain, an almost identical building was constructed on the main street ( Rt. 274 ). Both buildings are still in use. The Landisburg building, which had an addition added in 1962, has been used as a U.S Post Office since January 1988. The Blain building was remodeled and enlarged in 1987 when a drive-in window was installed. In 1978, when the bank's total assets were $21 million, it was learned that a larger Carlisle bank had purchased a gas station at Brunner's Corner, near Shermans Dale, to use as a branch office. A branch application was quickly completed by Landisburg and hand delivered to the Pennsylvania Department of Banking in Harrisburg. The Bank of Landisburg's application arrived at the Department before the other application and was subsequently approved. The Carlisle bank's application was rejected. The Bank of Landisburg has managed to survive over the years while a number of independent community banks in Perry County have disappeared. The communities of Duncannon, Ickesburg, Loysville, New Bloomfield and Millerstown no longer have independent banks.