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Delaware County, Iowa  

 Occupations Directory

 

 
Colesburg Bank Celebrates 100 Years.
by Charlene Barnhart
Tuesday May 8th 2007
Manchester Press, Manchester, Iowa

On Jan. 11, 1892 the first banking institution was established in Colesburg, called the Bank of Colesburg, with Amandus Wilson Rea as proprietor. All the latest improvements for safety and convenience were found here, including a burglar proof safe and time locks.

This bank served the community with a general banking business and a specialty on loans and collections. Rea bought notes, paid interest on time deposits, paid taxes and wrote insurance all from this first banking concern.

His building was on Main Street, just north of Pott’s General Store (now where the Medical Center is today). This banking facility lasted in Colesburg until 1907 when the Farmers Savings Bank was established.

The first meeting of the stockholders of the Farmer’s Savings Bank was held in Pott’s Store on Jan 12, 1907. Directors were F.A. Grimes, R.A. Gull, J.V. Bush, J.S. Merten, F.W. Klaus, C.H. Jacobs and M. W. Lovett.

In 1912 a new brick two-story building was erected for a cost of $2,800, just north of the present site (now the Kuhlman Construction Company office). This was home to the Farmers Savings Bank until 1968, when they moved to their present facility on the corner of Main and Delaware. At the time, this bank was built for the cost of $45,000, and in 1981 was expanded at a cost of $59,798.

John Juergens became the owner of the Farmers’ Savings Bank in November of 1964. At that time the bank had assets of $1,773,248. In 1993 their assets were over $17,000,000. And today their assets are $82,000,000.

The Farmers Savings Bank had a part in financing the Lone Pine Country Club, a lumber yard, subdivisions, city parks, new fire station, new hardware building, new feed store, Community Center, gas station expansion, senior citizens housing, sanitary sewer system, Ed-Co Elementary School, new grocery store, medical center and more.

This bank has for many years been the backbone of the community and continues to grow and support community projects. They now have branch offices in Elkport/Garber, Strawberry Point and Arlington.

Following is a list of the Board of Directors since their organization in 1907 to their 100th Anniversary in 2007.

F.A. Grimes 1907 – 1911 1914 – 1928; R.A. Gull 1907 – 1926; J.V. Bush 1907 – 1913; J.S. Merten 1907 – 1910; F.W. Klaus 1907 – 1935; C.W. Jacobs 1907; M.W. Lovett 1907 - 1909 – 1934; W.H. Eppens 1913- 1929; A.W. Rea 1908 – 1914; P.D. Peck 1915 – 1922; James Knee 1908 – 1909 1911-1929; G.A. Dodge 1909 1912 – 1913 1930 – 1942; J.P. Bolsinger 1922-1966; F.E. Bush 1926 – 1964; J.Wm. Lee 1929 – 1932; F.C. Wilson 1930 – 1952; A.G. Gull 1933 – 1952; Edith Hammond 1934 – 1964; F.C. Grimes 1936 – 1969; C.S. Klaus 1943 – 1964; A.J. Walters 1952 – 1965; Roland Wessel 1953 – 1965; Forrest Grimes 1965 – 1967; Chance Brown 1965 – 2006; Robert Wilson 1965 – 1972; John J. Juergens 1965; Kermit Kuhlman 1967 – 1972; Paul Livingston 1969 – 1999; Marilyn Juergens 1969 – present; Gerald Walters 1972; Lawson Waterman 1978 – 1983; Lavern Domeyer 1983 – ; Frank Hyde 1984 – 1991; Tim Juergens 1986 – ; Mark White 1998; Rodger Sear 1994; Reynold Tegeler 1999; Michael Brietbach 2005.