Restore the First Bank of the United States. #savethefirstbank

05/11/2023

Interesting article from Padre Island National Seashore and the parks collection of Spanish colonial coins. Coins like these would have been in the vaults of the First Bank at one time.

https://www.nps.gov/pais/learn/historyculture/reales.htm?fbclid=IwAR1yrrRCeD7Noc77XlkRNl3RBoqD7QyCegLEImnEQk3GEKZeBUPbhcVEYgE #:~:text=Many%20of%20these%20coins%20came,these%20pieces%20are%20quite%20rare.

Padre Island National Seashore is fortunate to have the National Park Service's largest collection of coins from the Spanish Colonial era. During the time of their use, these coins were called reales (singular: real, pronounced ray-AL in Spanish, plural ray-AL-es). Many of these coins came from the....

07/01/2022

04/13/2022

April newsletter from Independence Historical Trust. Some exciting news in there 👀

April News and Updates April 2022 Exciting First Bank News! We at Independence Historical Trust are so excited to share a few updates about our most ambitious project to-date, the restoration of the F

04/07/2022

03/28/2022

5 Founding Fathers Whose Finances Shaped the American Revolution

How five of the nation’s Founders made their livings, how they invested in the revolutionary cause—and what they gained and lost.

03/11/2022

Reminder: Today is the last day for public comment on the NPS' Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) re: the proposed rehabilitation of the First Bank of the United States.

The proposed rehabilitation features an addition on the west end (back) of the First Bank building which will house restrooms, stairs, elevator, and accessible entrance.

Please visit the NPS Planning, Environment & Public Comment site to review the MOA: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/projectHome.cfm?projectID=95704

The National Park Service (NPS), in partnership with Independence Historical Trust (IHT), is proposing to rehabilitate the First Bank of the United States, a National Historic Landmark located within Independence National Historical Park noted for its distinguished architecture and historical significance. The goal of this project is to reopen the First Bank to the public with a new exhibit on the financial system of the early Federal period. As the proposed rehabilitation includes an addition to the west side of the building containing stairs, elevator and an accessible entrance and restrooms, it has been determined there will be an adverse effect on the building itself and nearby Carpenters’ Hall, from which the addition will be visible. The NPS has entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the PA State Historic Preservation Office, the Delaware Nation, and the Shawnee Tribe, to addresses this adverse effect. As required by law, INHP is making this MOA available for a 15-day public review and comment period. Anyone interested may visit: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/projectHome.cfm?projectID=95704. The comment period is open through March 11, 2022.

03/07/2022

With temperatures forecasted for the mid-60's today and tomorrow in New York City, it feels like we're finally "turning a corner" into spring! Having been moved twice, The Grange has turned some literal corners! See more moving and restoration photos here: https://www.nps.gov/hagr/learn/photosmultimedia/photogallery.htm

Image: Hamilton Grange, absent of its piazzas and lifted on hydraulics, turns a corner onto 141st Street during its second move in June 2008.

02/25/2022

231 years ago, on February 25, 1791, President George Washington signed the Bank Bill of 1791 which established the Bank of the United States! Huzzah!

02/23/2022

The proposal to establish a national bank was met with fierce opposition. Some critics even questioned if it was constitutional!

In a lengthy response, submitted to President George Washington in 1791, made his case for why the creation of a national bank was legal and necessary.

So, what happened to the Bank Bill of 1791? Did President Washington sign it into law? Find out on Friday, February 25th!

Final Version of an Opinion on the Constitutionality of an Act to Establish a Bank, [23 February 1791]

02/08/2022

in 1791, the House of Representatives passed a bill to establish the bank of the United States.

Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, appealed to both the House and the Senate to support the legislation, stating that a national bank was necessary to collect taxes and pay debts from the Revolutionary War.

Despite opposition from prominent figures such as Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson and Virginia Representative James Madison, the House passed the bill 39-20.

On this date, the House of Representatives passed a bill establishing the first Bank of the United States. In both the House and the Senate, Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton of New York lobbied support for the bank legislation. Hamilton argued that a national bank is “a political machi...

01/29/2022

Snow day in Philly ❄ Stay warm!