Albion State Bank
About this property
Albion State Bank was an historic structure in Albion, Oklahoma, located amidst the rugged and rural but verdant Kiamichi Mountains, in northeastern Pushmataha County, Oklahoma. The bank was built in the period of optimism immediately following Oklahoma's statehood on November 16, 1907. Settlers considered the county to be an agricultural paradise, and logging was an important industry in the Albion region. The town's railroad station was an active transshipment point for timber, and the town's early population grew rapidly. Albion's future commercial success seemed assured to the town's businessmen, one of whom, John T. Bailey—who also named the town—built Albion State Bank in 1910. Bailey built the bank on the northwest corner of the public square—no longer extant as a square; it has been bisected by U.S. Highway 271—at the corner of Pearl Street. Bailey's brother, Edgar Bailey, operated a dentist office in the rear two rooms. Continued and enduring prosperity eluded Albion, however, and in approximately 1927 banker Bailey transferred the bank to Talihina, Oklahoma. The building remained empty until 1930, when J.M. (John Melvin) Armstrong, another prominent Albion businessman, purchased it and opened a grocery store. He closed the store in 1950, converting it into his family residence, where he lived until his death in 1963. His widow continued living there until her death in 1972. In 1975 the building was purchased by Mrs. Lorene Barnett, who operated a succession of small businesses there. In 1979, at the time of an architectural survey, the building was vacant but in good condition. Its wood plank flooring was original, and also in good condition. The building was a one-story structure constructed of red brick in a rectangular footprint. It measured 40 feet long and 25 feet wide. The windows were originally arched. The interior ceilings were of pressed copper bearing a decorative design. The original bank vault painted with the words, “Albion State Bank” was mounted in a brick wall and was still present during the survey in 1979. A water well dug in approximately 1933 was outside the back door. The architectural survey noted the bank's “considerable integrity” due to remaining “structurally sound and essentially unaltered” and recommended it successfully for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. More information on Albion may be found in the Pushmataha County Historical Society. See https://www.flickr.com/photos/koknor/4547890020/ for a photograph of the bank.
Location
Categories
Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Everything a full report reveals about Albion State Bank
This page lists Albion State Bank. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Questions about this property
When was Albion State Bank listed on the National Register?
Albion State Bank was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 11, 1979.
What type of historic resource is Albion State Bank?
Albion State Bank is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Albion State Bank?
The period of significance for Albion State Bank is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Albion State Bank?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Albion State Bank will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
More in Pushmataha County
Historic places, battles, and census history across Pushmataha County.
Explore PushmatahaCounty ›More historic places in Oklahoma
Browse all historic places in Oklahoma.
View Oklahomahistoric sites ›Research the history near this site
An Aubrey US report for an address near Albion State Bank will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.