The Old State Bank

Five Columns 

Ben showing us the Civil War Bullet. 

Book and cannon mantel 

The Teller cages

Original Mirror 

The Vault

Standing on the balcony

Original table 

Carol with the "walking wheel"

Original chair

Rope Bed 

Herb Garden 

Flowers and trees from the yard of the Bank 

I will be the first to admit that I didn't learn anything about the Civil War in school.  Nothing!!  How in the heck did I ever pass American History?  I don't know.  I have to say, I LOVE learning it all now.  Of course it's totally different when you are actually at the places where it all took place and you have a person teaching you all about it.  I have learned more in the past three years than I did in the twelve in school...and it's FUN!     We went with Charlotte, Carol ( her Mom) and the boys for a tour of  " The Old State Bank" in down town Decatur.  Our tour guide was a retired Judge who had grown up in Decatur, which was a history buff.  He made for a great guide and teacher.  The old state bank is Alabama's oldest surviving bank.  It was in operation for only about ten years in the 1800's.  Washington Keyes, was the banks first head cashier and resident of the bank's 2nd floor apartment. There are two pieces of original furniture still in the bank.  The table in the dining room which was also used for banking business with the board of directors  and a working chair that was used by the women who worked in the bank.  The rest of the furniture would have been in that time period.  We were all informed by Carol that the spinning wheel was called a " walking wheel".  There is no pedal to spin the wheel with.  You would spin the wheel by hand and back up away from the wheel pulling on the wool or cotton to spin it into yarn.  We were all aloud to walk out onto the balcony of the apartment.  Well, everyone but me.  I wasn't going out on something that high that had been there that long and even through a war 150 years ago.
       As we were all standing inside of the banks vault, we were told that hundreds and hundreds of arms and legs were amputated inside the vault.  The bank was taken over by the Union Army and they used it as a hospital.   There were stains on the floor of the vault but we were informed that it wasn't blood...ha.  The five limestone columns have many bullet holes in them.  There is even a bullet in the bricks by one of the front doors.  Inside the lobby of the bank there was an original huge mirror that had actually hung in the lobby.  In fact, there were two of them just a like.  They hung on each side of the teller cage.  There were two fireplaces in the lobby also.  The mantels were called "book and cannon" mantels.  The columns on them were shaped and looked like cannons.  At the top of them, were pieces of wood carved to look like books.  They were suppose to have been Bibles.  They actually did look like real books.  The bank was built in a year by slaves.  The  five slaves that made the five columns on the front of the bank where given their freedom when they had finished.  There were beautiful gardens behind the bank and a  beautiful brick walk way with an herb garden in the middle.  We were told to help ourselves to pick any of the herbs that we wanted.  The more you pick them, the better they grow.  What a fun morning we had and a free two hour history lesson.  I wish I had the chance of learning history hands on when I was in school.  I'm thankful to have that chance now.