xt7jm61bkn0w https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dipstest/xt7jm61bkn0w/data/mets.xml Citizens Union National Bank (Louisville, Ky.) 19--]  books b96-15-36619913 English s.n., : [S.l. : This digital resource may be freely searched and displayed.  Permission must be received for subsequent distribution in print or electronically.  Physical rights are retained by the owning repository.  Copyright is retained in accordance with U. S. copyright laws.  For information about permissions to reproduce or publish, contact the Special Collections Research Center. Louisville (Ky.) History. History of Louisville text History of Louisville 19 19--] 2002 true xt7jm61bkn0w section xt7jm61bkn0w 
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Foreword 7

       The series of advertisements, reproduced
       herewith in booklet form, originally ap-
       peared in the Louisville daily papers just
       prior to the physical consolidation of the
       Citizens Union National Bank, the Fi-
       delity and Columbia Trust Company, and
       the Louisville Joint Stock Land Bank.
       An attempt has been made in these ad-
       vertisements to portray some of the more
       colorful events in the history of a city
       rich in historical lore and tradition. The
       dates, facts, and figures that constitute a
       part of this series have been verified in-
       sofar as the published histories and rec-
       ords of our City and State permit.
       This little booklet is presented to you with
       the hope that it may prove sufficiently
       interesting from a historical standpoint
       to make it worthy of preservation.

 

















An Announcement



LOUISVILLE

5YA'e History
ofd City+



CITIZENS UNION



     HE opening of the new banking room and offices of
     the Citizens Union National Bank and The Louis-
     ville Joint Stock Land Bank in the Inter-Southern
     Building, on May 29, 1922, marked an epoch in the
banking history of Louisville.
   Within about three months The Fidelity and Columbia
Trust Company will move from its present quarters in the
Columbia Building into this splendid new home at Fifth and
Jefferson Streets.
  The completion of this physical change will find these
three institutions housed under the same roof and merged
into one compact and efficient organization, with unsur-
passed facilities for the transaction of every form of banking
and trust service.
   The Citizens Union Fourth Street Bank, which so well
serves the retail section of the city, constitutes the final and
completing link in this great scheme of financial service,
strength and efficiency.
   This is the first of a series of historical advertisements
prepared to review the growth and development of Louis-
ville. It is hoped that the joint physical occupancy of the new
quarters by these financial institutions, which will mark the
conclusion of this advertising series, will stand out as one of
the great mile-stones in the history of Louisville.



NATIONAL BANK     FIDELUlIY & COLUMBIA TRUST CO.
      (bZm1plete PEndncial Service



CITIZENS UNION FOURTH ST VA-VNK



LOUISVILLE JOINT STOCK  BANK

 


















The Falls of the Ohio



LOUISVILLE
         0_  

ISke /Ls tory
ofa City -



CITIZENS UNION



     ENE LA SALLE paddled down the Ohio River in the
     sear 1669, believing that he wvas on his way to the
     Gulf of California. SineQ there is no authentic con-
     firmation of the accounts of earlier exploring parties,
La Salle must be accorded the honor of being the first white
man to visit the Falls of the Ohio.
   From that time on many parties of hunters and explorers
visited the present site of Louisville. In 1766 two British
officers surveyed the Falls and a map was drawn by Captain
Hutchins, which is a striking picture even to this day.
   In-1778 General George Rogers Clark landed a little band
of pioneers on Corn Island and left theni there to eke out a
precarious existence, surrounded by hostile savages. On De-
cember 25th of that same year, these first settlers moved from
Corn Island into a fort, which they had built at the foot of what
is now Twelfth Street, and there celebrated the first permanent
settlement of Louisville.
   Because of its strategic location at the Falls of the Ohio,
Louisville has prospered and forged steadily ahead, until now
this metropolis of Kentucky has gained an enviable position
among the great cities of this continent.
   We are proud to have been identified with the growth
and( (levelopenI t of Loiisvilhe. and we pledge our concerted
effort to the continued upbuildlitw of this conmiunity.



NATIONAL BANK    FIDELITY & COLUMBIA TRUST CO.
      Complete Financial Service



CITIZENS UNION FOURTH Si BANK



LOUISVILLE JOINT STOCK LAND BANK

 


















The Keep of Sanders



Hjstory
C   a, ...



CITIZENS



    HE YEAR    1780 was one of great importance to the
    little settlement at the Falls of the Ohio.
        On Mtay 1, 1780, the city of Louisville received its
     first official charter from the Legislature of Virginia,
and thus began its corporate existence.
  During the spring flood of 1780, John Sanders, a famous
hunter and woodsman, made fast his large boat to a tree at
what is now the northeast corner of Third and Main Streets.
When the receding waters left the boat high and dry, Sanders
boarded up the side and ends, inserted doors and windows,
and, with the addition of a roof, turned the boat into a store,
or "Keep," as he called it.
  There he carried on a general trading business, issuing
negotiable receipts for skins and hides brought to him by hunt-
ers and trappers. These receipts passed from hand to hand
ainl served the same purpose that our negotiable notes and
bonds dlo now. A beaver skin was the unit of value in those
eairlv times.
  Thus the Keep of Sanders becanie in reality the first Ibmuk-
iiig institution in Louisville. In striking contrast to this primil-
itive house of barter, our splendid new banking room at Fifth
and Jefferson Streets emphasizes the remarkable progress made
by this city in little more than a century.



UNION NATIONAL BANK    FIDELITY & COLUMBIA TRUST CO.
               Complete Financial Service



LOUISVILLE JOINT STOCK LAND BANK



LOUISVILLE
      0_ r



of d



CITIZENS UNION FOURTH STBANK

 

















Early Currency and Exchange



LOUISVILLE



5Jec
ofa



1is tory
Ci t' A 



CITIZENS UNION



JW N 1780 there were so many different kinds of currency in
     circulation in Louisville that much confusion resulted there-
     from. Coin from the mint of every civilized nation on the
     gl6be, land warrants, beaver skins, tobacco and other forms
of produce and peltry were in common use as units of exchange
   To this heterogeneous array we niust add the \-arious kinds of
paper money in circulation. During the Revolutionary W\ar, V ir-
ginia issued nearly one hundred millions of paper money, and the
other colonies issued large amounts, l)articularly Pennsylvania and
North Carolina. Such large quantities caine into Kenttucky that
in 1781 it required one thousand dollars of this paper to equal
one Spanish dollar.
   In 1780, George Hartt, the first doctor in Louisville. attended
the child of his friend, George Clew s, and presented the following bill:
  To 8 doses Calomel .  ............................. .... 240.00
  To 4 blistering plasters for your child  ............... 240.00
                                                480.00
   A dose of calomel at 30.00 would seem rather expensive med-
ical treatment today.
   This chaos of money and prices indicated clearly the need of
a bank to stabilize the monetary situation. Today the modern
banking institution is one of the most important factors in our
complex commercial life. We are endeavoring through our allied
institutions to afford the people of Louisville every possible form
of financial service.



NATIONAL BANK    FIDELITY & COLUMBIA TRUST CO.
      Comnplte Financial Service



LOUISVILLE JOINT STOCK LAND BANK



CITIZENS UNION FOURTH ST. BANK

 


















The First Steamboat



LOUISVILLE

gXe His tory
ofa City 



QA N JUNE 1st, 1792, Kentucky became an independent State.
      Aleanwhile the little settlement at the Falls of the Ohio
      was steadily growing and the opening of the new century
      found Louisville a thriving community of eight hundred
people.
   An event of great importance occurred in October, 1811, when
Fiilton's steamboat, the "Orleans," reached Louisville en route
from Pittsburgh to New Orleans. This was the first steamboat to
traverse the Ohio, and it arrived at Louisville unheralded and un-
expected in the course of a still, moonlight night. The extraordi-
nary sound produced by the steam whistle and the puffing of the
engine caused a general alarm, many of the inhabitants believing
that some monster of the deep had found its way inland.



                              From this event we may date the real prosperity of Louisville.
                           The Falls of the Ohio marked the head of ascending and the foot
                           of descending navigation, and all the commerce of the Southern
                           and Western countries necessarily passed through the portals of
                           this city.
                              It is gratifying to note the active part that Louisville is now
                           taking in the revival of river transportation. With the construction
                           of adequate river terminals and equipment, great opportunities
                           are afforded the commercial interests of this city.
                              These allied institutions stand ready at all times to lend their
                           aid in the sound development of this community.
                      Q I



CITIZENS UNION NATIONAL BANK                    FIDEIGTY & COLUMBIA TRUST CO.
                           Complete Financial Service



CITIZENS UNION FOUR'H ST. BANK



LOUISVILLE JOINT STOCK LAND BANK

 

















Note-Shavers



hel
of d



History
City -



JW T is interesting at this time to review some of the events
     that marked the progress and growth of early Louisvill.
        In 1789 the first brick house was erected by .Mr. Kaye
     on Market Street between Fifth and Sixth.
   The first newspaper published in Louisville was called the " Farm-
ers' Library," and the initial issue appeared on January 18, 1801.
   In 1807 the volunteer fire companies were badly in need of
equipment. About this time a showman arrived in Louisville with
an elephant. and the trustees of Louisville taxed him 10.00 for
each public exhibition of the elephant, appropriating the receipts
for ladders for use at the fires.
   The first theatre was built in 1808, but, until remodeled in
1818, it was little better than a barn.+
   Shrewd men who had accumulated a surplus of money were
engaged in a very peculiar form of banking at this time. They
carried about a wonderful collection of notes and papers in their
high, bell-crowned hats. It was their practice to discount notes
and lend money at a higher rate of interest than the law allowed.
They were known as note-shavers and did not enjoy general pop-
ularity.
   Modern banking facilities contrast very sharply with the diffi-
culties of early banking. We are able through our allied institu-
tions to render material assistance in any form of financial transac-
tion.



C [ITZENS UNION NATIONAL BANK   FIDFLI'IY & COLUMBIA TRUST CO.
                            Comuplete Linancial Service



LOUISVILLE



LOUISVILLE JOINT STOCK LAND BANK



CITI-Al-ENS UNION FOURTH ST BANK

 


















The Court House of 1811



LOUISVILLE


fi Aistory
of a City -



CITIIZENS UNION'



     TIE first Court House in Jefferson County was a small one-
     room  log structure, built in 1784. This burned in 1787
     and a stone building, erected in 1788, served as its successor
     until 1811.
  The Court House built in 1811 was considered the handsomest
structure in the Western country. The building consisted of a
main body andl two wings, all of brick, and was situated on the west
side of Sixth Street, between Jefferson and Market. The public
library, composed of about five hundred volumes, was located in
the second story of the south wing.
  The jail, immediately opposite the Court House, was a mis-
erable edifice, kept in filthy condition. Dr. McMurtrie in his his-
tory referred to it as "first cousin to the Black Hole of Calcutta."
Ile declared that any unfortunate prisoner who fell asleep might
lose his ears through the voracity of rats and other vermin that
infested the place. He referred also to the pillory and whipping
post standing opposite the Court House.
- i The first church in Louisville, a small Catholic chapel, was
built in 1811 at the corner of Tenth and Main Streets. l
  The progress of a community is evidenced by the character
of its public structures and business institutions. We feel that the
citizens of Louisville can point with pride to our new banking offices
as an example of real progressiveness and civic spirit



NATIONAL BANK     FIDELI'Y & COLUM.IA TRUST CO.
      C071plete 14nanckal Service



CITI-E.ENS UNION FOURIH ST BANK



LOUISVILLE JOINT STOCK LAND BANK

 



















The Earthquakes of 1812



LOUISVILLE

lke His tory
Ofa City
        I    y  .



CITIZENS UNION



JW N attempting to portray the history of Louisville it is well
     to review some of the misfortunes and adversities that be-
     fell the early inhabitants.
        Beginning on the 16th day of December, 1811, and coit-
tinuing for four months through the spring of 1812, Louisville awid
the surrounding country experienced a series of terrible and violet il
earthquakes. Ornaments anal dishes were dashed to the grotitiil.
chimneys topple(l over, anud buildings thrown dlangero)usly (oll .dr
line.
   In 1817 smallpox in virulent form    ravagedl the towVI. TVe
cases were so numerous that there was fear of an extertniiiat ill
epidemic. It became necessary to improvise a temp)orary hospital
on the edge of town to take care of the patients. This was the
forerunner of the Louisville Hospital, incorporated in 1817.
   In 1822 a terrible epidemic of fever almost depopulated Louis-
ville. The mortality was so great that the neighboring States le-
came alarmed; the news was spread far and wide, and for years after-
ward travelers dreaded to pass through Louisville. This epidemic
was undoubtedly caused by the stagnant water of the ponds which
were so numerous throughout the city. These ponds were drained,
the filth removed, and from that time on Louisville became one
of the healthiest cities in the country.
   Civic projects and developments are made possible only through
proper financing. A successful municipality needs large banking
institutions with ample capital. These allied institutions are glad
to serve the interests of Louisville at all times.



NATIONAL BANK    FIDELITY & COLUMBIA TRUST CO.
      Complete Financial Service



CITIZENS UNION FOURTH ST. BANK



LOUISVILLE JOINT STOCK LAND BANK

 



















The Visit of General Lafayette



LOUISVILLE
        -o

24g f history

ofa Citv ..



/t.,  ,NE of the most noteworthy events in the history of early
  liiiLouisville was the reception accorded General Lafayette
k I7during his triumphal tour of this country.
         The distinguished visitor arrived in Louisville on May
11, 1825, and was given the freedom of the city. A public dinner
was served for him in Washington Hall, processions were formed,
arclhes erected, and his pathway strewn with flowers.



                             Not long before this, however, Louisville entertained a celebrity
                          to whom little attention was paid. Mr. J. J. Audubon, the world-
                          renowned ornithologist, advertised in the "Courier" of February 19,
                          1819, that he was desirous of securing a class in drawing and would
                          also paint portraits, which, he promised, would be "strong like-
                          nesses.
                             Another event of great importance to the city occurred just at
                          this time. The Louisville and Portland Canal Company was in-
                          corporated by an Act of the Legislature on January 12, 1825. Work
                          on the canal was begun in March, 1826, and it was finally opened for
                          navigation on December 5, 1830. The completion of this canal was
                          indeed a mile-stone in the history of the city.
                             The joint occupancy of our new banking offices at Fifth and
                           Jefferson Streets will indoubtedly be recognized in the future as
                           one of the mile-stones in the financial history of this city.




CITIZENS UNION NATIONAL BANK                   FIDELITY & COLUMBIA TRUST CO.
                          cnoplete Financial Service



LOUISVILLE JOINT STOCK LAND 8ANY,



CITIZENS UNION FOURM ST BANK

 

















The First Railroad



LOUISVILLE

Ilke History
ofa City-+



_tH   E history of Louisville as a city may be said to have
al   begun with the 13th day of February, 1828, the date of
      the first city charter. Up to this time Louisville had been
      governed by Trustees, but under the new charter the city
was divided into five wards and placed under the government of
a Mayor and a City Council, the latter being composed of ten mem-
hers, two from each ward. The first election under this charter
was held on the 4th day of Mtay, 1828, and 'Mr. J. C. Bltcklin was
elected Mayor.



                               In the year 1838 a steam railway service was inaugurated l)e-
                            tween Portland and Louisville. This line did not prove profitable,
                            however, and was soon abandoned. In 1851 the road from Frank-
                     it  :  X fort to Louisville was completed, and, in December of that year. the
                            actual operation of trains was begun.
                               George D. Prentice left his New England home in 1830 and
                            journeyed to Louisville to engage in the publication of the Louis-
                            ville "Journal."  From that time until the "Journal" was consoli-
                            dated with the "Courier" in 1868, the name and fame of Prentice
                            and his paper spread throughout the country. The vigor of his
                            pen and the strength of his personality had much to do with the
                            ever-increasing prominence attained by the city of Louisville.
                               Strong, well-conducted financial institutions are important factors
                            in the progress of any community. These allied institutions are
                            reatl. :it ill times to join in every forward movement.



CITIZENS UNION NATIONAL BANK                    FIDELUIT & COLUMBIA TRUST CO.
                           Complete Financial Service



CITIZENS UNION FOURTH ST. BANK



LOUISVILLE JOINT STOCK LAND BANK

 

















Bloody Monday



LOUISVILLE

Ilke History
ofa City-+



    NJ  a series of brief articles of this sort it is not possible to even
 4 sketch the political history of Louisville. The barest sum-
     mary would require a number of volumes of highly colored
     narrative.
   Yet there is one event in the early political history of Louisville
which will always stand out in 0old relief, discrebdital)le though it
may lbe.
  The year 1X54 marked the passing of the Whlig party as a State
and national organization. The Know-Notbing ticket, based on
antagonism to foreigners and Catholics, was elected, and this new
political party steadily gained in influence and power.
   In a heated campaign in 1855, the rank and file of the Know-
Nothing party, largely in the majority, proved violently intolerant,
and on election day, August 6th, mobs were formed with riotous
demonstrations. Foreigners were stoned, clubbed and chased
through the streets, houses were fired, and by nightfall the city
was threatened with a general conflagration. Over twenty people
were killed or died from their wounds and many houses were
burned to the ground. Contemporaneous historians always referred
to the day as "Bloody Monday. "
   The people of Louisville have witnessed many changes for the
better since those troublesome days. One of the most auspicious
signs for the further growth and development of this city is the
strength of her banking institutions. We are proud to identify
our forces and resources with every forward movement for the
betterment of the community.



CITIZENS UNION NATIONAL BANK   FIDELUIT & COLUMBIA TRUST CO.
                           Complete Financial Service



CITIZENS UNION FOURTH ST. BANK



LOUISVILLE JOINT STOCK LAND BANK

 


















The Louisville Legion



LOUISVILLE

Ilke History
ofa City-+



CITIZENS



   NY   history of Louisville would be incomplete without
       some reference to the splendid military record of her citizens.
       Organized in 1836 by the foremost young men of the town,
       the Louisville Legion has blazoned a proud record across
the pages of American history.
   In 1846 our country's declaration of war against Mexico created
intense excitement. On May 17th the Governor of Kentucky
issued a proclamation asking for volunteers for the existing emer-
gency. The following day the Louisville Legion offered its services,
and four days later was on transports bound for Mexico.
   Upon the return of the Legion from Mexico it was disbanded,
but in 1858 this famous command was reorganized under the lead-
ership of Simon B. Buckner, who subsequently became Governor
of Kentucky. This organization participated with distinction and
credit in many of the greatest battles of the Civil WNrar.
   Because of the railroad riots of 1877, the First Battalion of the
Kentueky State Guards was mustered into service ill 1878. This
battalion becanime ofie of the crack military organizations of tile
countrv, taking first prize It nany encamnpimemits all over the 1)Ilite(I
States. Its splendid .achievenents in recent y ears are knowni to
every one.
   Like the soldier, the successful business manl mmust possess courage
and character. But he also needs capital. Our resources are at
the command of those pioneers of industry who are fast bringing
Louisville to the front in the great struggle for commercial supremacy.



UNION NATIONAL BANK    FIDELUIT & COLUMBIA TRUST CO.
               Complete Financial Service



LOUISVILLE JOINT STOCK LAND BANK



CITIZENS UNION FOURM ST. BANK

 


















The First Gas Lights



LOUISVILLE

ieIl History
ofa City



CITIZENS UNION



_     URING the period from 1830 to 1850 practically all of the
      great enterprises in Louisville were founded. Perhaps the
      best indication of the growth and progress of the city at
      this time is found in the United States Census reports. The
population of Louisville in 1830 was 10,341; in 1840, 21,210, and in
1850, 43,194.
   The Louisville Hotel, the first large hotel in the city, was erected
in 1832. The first Galt House, located at the northeast corner
of Second and Main Streets, was built in 1835.
   The year 1840 witnessed an event of great importance. In
that year the lighting of the city by gas was inaugurated by the
Louisville Gas Company. Much of the crime and disorder that
had prevailed under cover of darkness was thus dispelled.
   In 1846 the organization of the law department of the University
of Louisville was completed. In 1848 Cave Hill Cemetery was
dedicated with notable ceremonies.
   A great financial panic occurred in 1837, notable because all
of the banks in the Union, including the Kentucky banks, sus-
pended payment. The Kentucky Legislature of 1837 legalized the
suspension of the banks, refusing to compel them to resume specie
payments or to exact the forfeiture of their charter.
   It is indeed fortunate that the provisions of the Federal Reserve
Law eliminate the possibility of any future occurrence of this sort.
Our membership in the Federal Reserve System assures our customers
of complete protection from any such emergency.



NATIONAL BANK    FIDELITV & COLUMBIA TRUST CO.
      Complete Financial Service



CITIZENS UNION FOURTH ST BANK



LOUISVILLE JOINT STOCK LAND BANK

 


















The Great Cyclone



LOUISVILLE

ofa Cistory
ofa City -



THE     General Assembly of Kentucky granted the city of Louis-
\ 'jGville its third charter in the year 1870. This year really
    Kmarked the beginning of another epoch in the history of the
      city. The period of prosperity which followed the Civil
War was now manifesting itself in the consummation of many great
undertakings.
  An event of great importance was the completion in 1870 of the
railroad bridge at the foot of Fourteenth Street. The new Galt
House, erected at a cost of one million dollars and unparalleled in
its magnificence, was thrown open to the public this same year.



                              In 1873 the City Hall at Sixth and Jefferson and the new High
                           School on First Street were completed and occupied. The enlarge-
                           ment and completion of the water-works system was also a note-
                           worthy achievement of this period.
                              In the spring of 1890 Louisville was visited by the severest
        X'M X        SAW  storm in its history. A terrific tornado swept through the western
                           district of the city, leaving death and destruction in its wake. Sev-
                           enty-six people were killed outright. over two hundred injured,
                      U tk  and the property damage was estimated at over two million dollars.
                              We learn from the history of this country that we must expect
                      ,HX  financial "storms" of great intensity from time to time. The
                           combined strength and resources of our allied institutions form an
                           impenetrable bulwark of protection for our customers from financial
                           storms of the utmost severity.



CITIZENS UNION NATIONAL BANK                    FIDELITY & COLUMBIA TRUST CO.
                           Complete X nancial Service



LOUISVILLE JOINT STOCK LAND BANK



CITIZENS UNION FOUvrii STBANK

 


















A Great Financial Consolidation



LOUISVILLE

Ae Hfstory
ofa City ..



    N this series of advertisements we have endeavored to sketch
 4 very briefly some of the outstanding events in the growth
     and development of this city. From the date of the earliest
     settlement down to the present time the history of Louisville
has been a story of steady progress and achievement.
  Louisville today occupies a proud place among the foremost
cities of this great country. Located near the geographical center
of the nation, surrounded by natural advantages of every description,
and blessed with the highest order of citizenry, this city is indeed
fortunate.



                      H;n-7 W  XLooking back- now, it is easy to trace through the long years
                      - GoXthe steady growth and progress that has characterized the affairs
                            of this community from the very beginning. And so this brief
                            chronicle brings us down to the present time and the narration
                            of the last chapter in this history.
                               On Monday, October 9, 1922, the Fidelity & Columbia Trust
                            Company, the Citizens Union National Bank, and the Louisville
                            Joint Stock Land Bank will formally welcome the public to their
                            new banking offices in the Inter-Southern Building at Fifth and
                            Jefferson Streets. We believe that the joint occupancy of these
                            nmagnificenit new quarters by three great financial institutions,
                            whose combined resources total over forty million dollars, will always
                            stand out as one of the memorable events in the history of this city.
                            The people of Louisville are offered for the first time a complete
                            financial service under one roof.



CITIZENS UNION NATIONAL BANK                   FIDELITY & COLUMBIA TRUST CO.
                           Complete Financial Service



LOUISVILLE JOINT STOCK LAND BANK



CITIZENS UNIONFOURI'll STBANK