State Bank Building
Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina
Marker Inscription
State Bank Building. First State Bank, est. 1814; housed Christ Church rectory, 1873-1951. Reopened 1969 as bank 50 yds. N.W.
Erected by North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
The Story
Chartered in 1814, the State Bank of North Carolina was one of the young state's earliest financial institutions, helping to steady a cash-poor agricultural economy. Its handsome building later served a long second life as the rectory of Christ Church from 1873 to 1951 before reopening as a bank. Few structures capture so many chapters of Raleigh's growth in one place.
Why it matters
Early state banks were the scaffolding of American commerce, supplying the credit and currency that let a frontier economy mature.
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Related events
- · Establishment of the State Bank of North Carolina, 1814
Themes & tags
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