2013.012.001

This is a scrapbook found in the closet on the fourth floor of the Peoples United Bank in Lawrence. The book contains articles spanning from the early 1900s to the 1950s about transactions, annual reports, attempted robberies, and civilian interaction with not only Peoples United but many other banks in the Lawrence area as well. One particularly interesting article details how one poor blue collar worker was appealed by a group of banks in the area to collect and save money that he had been storing manually in his own home, with the promise that they would increase the worth of that money by three percent per bank he loaned to over a period of a few years. This was seen by the public to be a scam by the banks to swindle a poor older man out of his savings, so the banks withdrew this appeal not long after they submitted it. Another article details the workings of how Peoples United acquired the Truell property adjacent to their building in order to expand their business within that property in the future. There are Annual Reports of the bank from 1914 and other various years. A small leaflet showing the "Statement of Condition" of the bank as of 12-31-10 has the assets at $4,607,192.93 and dividends on deposits of $79,581.66. There are many interesting newspaper articles about this bank and its Board of Directors as well as other banks in the city.