Downtown in Indiana in Indiana County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Property of William & Charlotte Banks
701 Philadelphia Street
| | Downtown Indiana Historic Site 109 | |
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., January 17, 2025
1. Property of William & Charlotte Banks Marker
On this site in the 19th century, and eventually destroyed by fire, stood buildings belonging to William and Charlotte Banks. William Banks (1795-1871) was a prominent Indiana County attorney who served in a variety of positions, including State Representative and Deputy Attorney General to Borough Council. Banks Township was named in his honor in 1868, and he was also a trustee for the Indiana Female Seminary (1838) and the Indiana Academy (1853).
Banks was said to be an Underground Railroad agent. He represented the fugitive slave, Anthony Hollingsworth, in a habeas corpus petition before the Indiana County Court on June 27, 1845, and secured Hollingsworth's freedom. Banks also helped to pay the fines of anti-slavery leader Dr. Robert Mitchell when Mitchell was convicted of violating the Fugitive Slave Laws.
Erected by Downtown Indiana. (Marker Number 109.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • Charity & Public Work • Settlements & Settlers • Women. A significant historical date for this entry is June 27, 1845.
Location. 40° 37.387′ N, 79° 9.207′ W. Marker is in Indiana, Pennsylvania, in Indiana County. It is in Downtown. It
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands. It is also in the American Northeast, in the Mid-Atlantic, in Appalachia, and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Stewart Hardware (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Peter Sutton's Tavern, 1806 (about 400 feet away); James S. Nance, Jr. (about 400 feet away); Veterans Memorial (about 500 feet away); Indiana County Congressional Medal of Honor Recipients (about 500 feet away); Stewart Hardware Memorial Sundial (about 500 feet away); Indiana County (about 500 feet away); Vinegar Hill (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Indiana.
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., January 17, 2025
2. Property of William & Charlotte Banks Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on January 21, 2025. It was originally submitted on January 21, 2025, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 164 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 21, 2025, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
