A Brief Bank History
The Citizens Bank of Ashville
James Ward and William Martin Miller were engaged in business at Ward & Miller Grain Company when they recognized the need for a bank to serve the community’s financial needs. Farmers, who had been using the Grain Company as a bank, and other merchants and citizens of the community, could now take advantage of a full service banking institution. Thus, The Citizens Bank of Ashville was organized in 1894. Work commenced in May 1894 for the new bank building. By August 1894, the new safe had arrived and the bank furniture was in place. The doors opened for business on August 2, 1894.
Articles of Incorporation were filed on June 17, 1918, with the State of Ohio, when the bank was reorganized from a private bank to a state bank. With the incorporation, ownership of the bank was transferred from the individual owners through a trustee to The Citizens Bank of Ashville as a corporation.
Mr. E.W. Seeds joined The Citizens Bank of Ashville in 1918 and was CEO for over 50 years before retiring in 1973. He was followed by Eugene Wilson who operated in this capacity until his retirement in 1987, when Calvin Gebhart was appointed President/CEO.
The bank went through a major renovation in 1973 when the Helser Hardware Store next door and the bank building were combined to form one building. In 1979, the drive thru facility was built where Frank Oakes’ and Joe Reis’ Union 76 Station had been. The Commercial Point Branch was opened in 1986, followed by the Circleville branch in 1990. In 1998 the Commercial Point Branch moved into the new bank building at 1 Main Street.
The Citizens Bank has seen many changes and innovations in the past 100 plus years. In 1894, the bank operated with 2 employees, gaslights, hand posted entries, and showed a total asset value of $113,585.00. Today, our asset size is $90+ million. We offer our customers online banking, telephone banking, ATM services, as well as traditional customer service.
Over the years, we have watched our community grow and prosper. The main driving force behind the bank’s success has been to remain community minded, serving the financial needs of the community and providing friendly, courteous service that is typical of an independent financial institution. The community’s success is truly the basis of our success.