Farmers and Drovers Bank

Constructed in 1892, this historic Council Grove building was home to the Farmers and Drovers Bank. The origins of the bank can be traced back to the arrival of W.H. White in Kansas. In that year, the family loaded up a wagon in Kentucky and headed to Kansas territory. White opened the Farmers and Drovers Bank in 1882 and later acquired this parcel and began construction of this building. 1893, the bank moved into the building where it continues to operate led by White's descendants. The White family has played a significant role in Manhattan since arriving. W.H. White's father proved instrumental in the town's original layout. White helped his father survey the town before his father passed away when White was only seventeen years old. As a result, White turned to cattle driving. When White collected a substantial payment in Colorado for his cattle delivery, he had to come home carrying thousands of dollars without much security; the experience showed him the value of banks.

The Farmers and Drovers Bank opened for businesses on January 26, 1882. William Henry White, son of one of the town's original surveyors, served as the bank's first president, and the White family continues to manage the bank's affairs. In 1887, the bank's directors acquired and cleared the site at 201 West Main to construct an expansive bank building. However, the bottom dropped out of the nearly two-decade-long population boom and, consequently, construction projects almost came to a halt. It took roughly six years for the bank to complete construction on the now-historic structure, but the bank continues to call the building erected in 1893 its home. 

Born on August 27, 1847, W. H. White came to Council Grove from Kentucky with his parents by wagon train in 1857 (His mother died during the long journey). W.H. helped his father Thomas survey the original town and the family's first homestead. (Council Grove was established on the ancient grounds of the Kaw American Indian until Americans arrived in 1825 and set up the area as a supply point along the Santa Fe Trail.) But, his father passed away when William was only seventeen years old. So, at a young age, W.H. had to take a job moving cattle. 

Legend has it that W.H. sold his cattle in Colorado for a healthy profit in the late 1860s. He stayed in a hotel while holding $3,000 in paper money, but no secure door, so he kept a revolver under his pillow. When an intruder came into the room, W.H. pointed the gun at him and turned him away (thus thwarting the robbery attempt). Whether that "Old West" tale is accurate or not, the experience of having a sizable amount of money at his side showed W.H. the benefits of a bank, which inspired him to establish a bank roughly fifteen years later.

The bank opened in 1882 when Kansas' (and Council Bluffs') enjoyed robust population growth. Indeed, Kansas' population grew from 364,339 in 1870 to 996,096 in 1880 and then 1.4 million by 1890. However, the growth slowed dramatically by the late 1880s, So, when the bank group purchased and cleared the land (in 1887) where the now-historic building stands, the boom had practically disappeared. It took five years for construction to begin on the bank in 1892, and the bank finally moved into the new facility in March 1893. The building's superb architecture consists of brick and stone masonry, Romanesque arches, a Byzantine dome, and spires.

When the bank opened, it occupied the first floor while a newspaper occupied the basement and the second floor consisted of two dentist offices and a law firm. Over time, the bank's success and subsequent expansion resulted in its filling the entire building. And, in 1981, the Farmers & Drovers Bank expanded into another building erected during the same era when it moved into the adjacent Indicator Building, constructed in 1902. Today, the bank continues to use the historic building as its main office and banking center. It's not only a physical reminder of a time of robust western expansionism in the U.S. but also of a family whose history dates back to the town's early settling during the 1840s.

"A Rich History." Morris County Historical Society. Accessed July 7, 2021. https://www.morriscountyhistory.com/.

Sachs, David. "Farmers and Drovers Bank." Society of Architectural Historians (SAH Archipedia). Accessed July 7, 2021. http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/KS-01-127-0011. 

"Statistical Abstract of the United States." U.S. Census Bureau, Population. Digital copy located at Kansas University. Accessed July 7, 2021. https://ipsr.ku.edu/ksdata/ksah/population/2pop1.pdf. 

Derric Doty. "Farmers & Drovers Bank." From the Barber's Chair (historical blog). March 20, 2013. https://fromthebarberschair.wordpress.com/2013/03/20/farmers-drovers-bank/.

Wortman, Julie A. "Nomination Form: Farmers and Drovers Bank." National Register of Historic Places. nps.gov. 1971. https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/f898e1b0-fc11-4e40-be3a-0957490dd34e/.