Anthracite Bank of Tamaqua

Both of the images above are recent photos of the building that used to be the Anthracite Bank.

The Anthracite Bank of Tamaqua located at 133 West Broad St. was built in 1850 and served as Tamaqua’s first banking institution. The bank was established by prominent Tamaqua businessman, William Donaldson. The building only served as a bank for 15 years until 1865 when private owned wildcat banks were outlawed in Pennsylvania. The Anthracite Bank was incorporated as the First National Bank of Tamaqua and then moved across the street in 1865 to build a new bank. The former Anthracite Bank building became a residence to several prominent residents over the years including Civil War General, Henry L. Cake. In later years it was home to prominent businessman and early Tamaqua historian, Samuel Beard, and his wife Ruth. Several businesses were also located in the former bank during the years including two newspapers, The Tamaqua Paper, and later the Pottsville Republican newspaper.