James Emmitt became his own competitor in 1871 by going in partners to form Emmitt, Jones and Company Bank.  The name later became Hays, Jones and Company. Peter B. Hayes died in 1897 and George D. Cole in 1898 necessitating a reorganization of the Hays Jones and Company Bank. Wells Jones Jr. drew together a select group of investors to capitalize the bank with $50,000 and in 1900 applied for a charter as a national bank, the first in Pike co. to achieve that designation, to open in January 1901.  The first board of director included William B. Lee who held the successful Pee Pee Milling Company among his properties, Conrad Vallery a substantial farmer, August H. Dean ran the Pioneer Drug store on the corner of Emmitt and Market, William E. Taylor was elected the bank's first cashier and Jones the first president. This predecessor in 1901 became the First National Bank. This new bank was housed in a one room storefront on Market Street. In the 1920 a new bank building was constructed. Then on August 8, 1931 a merger was made with the Piketon National Bank that stipulated the First National Bank was to assume all liabilities and receive all assets of the Piketon firm.  Other than the three-day "bank holiday" ordered by President Roosevelt in 1933,the First National Bank had never missed a scheduled day of operation.  

     With the Atomic plant construction it was decided that the existing bank building was two small and only 30 years old did not lend itself to remodeling so a former tavern on Market Street was rented  to serve as a temporary bank while the old one was torn down and a new one began in 1953.  The only part of the bank that was salvaged was the vault. The cashiers would go to the vault in the morning and pick up their cash drawers and take the money across the street to the temporary bank.  The new bank was finished in 1954.

     March of 1892 the Waverly Building and Loan Company was formed. By 1901 was a well financed company and had substantial chunk of the existing financial clients.  Like the Waverly State Bank it has been taken over by another banking institutions (American Savings Bank with headquarters in Portsmouth also started in 1892). My memory of this institution was "you really didn't need the money" to be able to get a mortgage loan, after trying unsuccessfully a couple occasions to refinance my mortgage. January 1896 the following were elected as directors: A. H. Dean, W. S. Jones, Philip Lorbach, David Lorbach, Wm. S. Gehres, C. F. Schauseil, J. W. Logan, George E. Barch and F. E. Dougherty.

     The Bank of Waverly was organized by W. V. Watts, who came from Bainbridge, in 1897 and by 1901 had substantial chunks of the existing financial clients.  The Bank of Waverly which later became Waverly State Bank, did business from several locations. One of the locations was in the Emmitt house in the room on the corner. The last location is where the present US Bank is located on Emmitt Ave. The building at the Emmitt Ave. location was originally built as a Kroger store completed in June of 1951. At this location the bank has gone through several name changes including Huntington Bank, Bank One, Star Bank, First Star Bank and now US Bank.  The last three names are under the holding company First National Cincinnati Corporation. Mr. Watts died at the age of 69 on Thursdays Aug 6, 1936. Upon his death Minnie Gregg, the casher at the time, was selected till the first of the year to run the bank. Supervisor Mr. E. T. Tetrick, Vice Present, was to sign important papers according to 10 Sep. 1936 Republican Herald.

     In 1921 Waverly State Bank had assets of $128, 614 and First national Bank had $858,396.  By 1936 Waverly State Bank Assets had increased to $258,976.67.

First floor was the Post Office and on the right the Waverly State Bank and on second floor Wallace Dentist. In January 1921 attorney C. M. Caldwell moved his office out of the building to 206 E. Second Street.

 picture about 1900

Looking into Waverly State Bank Vault formerly used by O2 Coffee Shop as part of there dining area.  The Safe was moved to this location from the former location in the Greenbaum building about 1953 or 54.  In a conversation with Delbert Rigsby he tells me he was about 21 or 22 when he drove the wrecker used to move the safe, owned by Howard and Buddy Douglass who had a bulldozer and wrecker service at what is now the lot where Hunter Chrysler is.  They also owned the Douglass Pontiac Dealership located at what is now Cardo's and the Gulf Station that is now the Emmitt house parking lot.  After Douglass sold the Pontiac dealership it was followed by a Chrysler dealership.  Delbert says he drove a 1952 GMC Cap Over Wrecker and as he came to the bottom of the hill crossing Rt. 23 the vault rubbed ground.  He says it was a big day in Waverly, the town was closed down with FBI , Federal Agents, State and local police on hand.  The safe was moved through the front of the building. From the front of the building it was winched on roll bars to its present location. During the time Bert Federici owned the building the Mosler Safe Company wanted to take it but he would not let them do so. 

The Mosler Safe Company was founded in Cincinnati by  Gustave Mosler as the Mosler-Bahmann Safe Company in 1867 and ended with bankruptcy in 2001. The company outgrew its original factory and relocated to Hamilton in 1891.  Its safes and vaults were renowned for their strength and precision manufacture: several Mosler vaults installed in Hiroshima's Mitsui Bank building prior to WWII survived the Nuclear bomb.

The door is very heavy to move.

The door that could be opened up and turn on the fan to bring air into the vault in case one got locked in the vault, unlike in the movies where people struggle to get the door open in time to save the people locked in the vault. 

Part of this building has also served in the past as James Hoover and Son Hardware, followed by George Leist Jr. and Omer Davis starting in 17 August 1904 and in  1926 by Willis and Stoll Hardware, storage for Hammerstein Furniture

     Serving the bank's customers are (foreground, left to right) Mrs. Beryl (Ruth Oyer) Cooper (hired in 1945), Miss Charlotte Hibbens, William Foster (hired in 1948); (background) Mrs. William Foster (Norma Jean Scott), George Scott (Bank President) and Miss Eva Blaum (employed in the 1930's). (Photo by Marcus Orr)

 The first out of county bank to open a branch bank was Citizens Savings and Loan from 505 Chillicothe Street, Portsmouth in the mid 70's.  This bank is now Ohio Valley Bank with headquarters in Gallipolis. Citizens Savings & Loan Association Company stared in 1891 in Portsmouth.

2nd November 1950 The Republican Herald

     The Atomic Credit Union was founded November 28, 1955, nearly 25 years after the credit union movement began in Ohio.  Originally, the credit union was established to meet the financial needs of "all retired or permanently employed personnel engaged in the operation of; maintenance of; or construction at the Atomic Plant site," additionally, immediate family members were also permitted to join the credit union. The credit union’s field of membership remained status quo until a small credit union in Scioto County, Southern Ohio Savings Credit Union, Inc became insolvent and was presented to Atomic in the early 1990’s as a merger opportunity. Although Southern Ohio Savings Credit Union, Inc was relatively small in asset size, it held a very lucrative field of membership charter.

     After the merger, Atomic Credit opened its doors to all living, working or worshiping in the following counties: Adams, Brown, Gallia, Highland, Lawrence, Pike and Scioto. As a result of this, branch offices and ATMs were opened up in Waverly, Portsmouth, and Piketon to support the growing needs of there members.   The credit union’s  President and Chief Executive Officer, Tom Griffiths, secured an eighth community charter in Jackson County in 2000.. The Jackson office has since been established, in addition to a sixth office in the Wellston. 

     In 2007, the ninth community charter of Ross County was obtained. 2008  credit union opened its seventh branch in Lucasville, in addition to a new 18,600 square foot facility serving as the Piketon branch and Corporate office. Most recently, Atomic Credit Union opened it’s eighth office expanding services to the residents of Chillicothe.

     In 2009, Atomic Credit Union expanded to the Hocking Valley Region due to the merger and acquisition of Hocking Valley Credit Union.  As a result of the merger, Atomic acquired two locations in Athens and Logan and added five counties to its field of membership.  Community charters gained through the merger are Athens, Hocking, Meigs, Vinton and Perry counties in addition to already established Adams, Brown, Gallia, Highland, Jackson, Lawrence, Pike, Ross, and Scioto counties.