Washington Park in Atlanta in Fulton County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
Citizens Trust Bank
Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, March 16, 2025
1. Citizens Trust Bank Marker
Inscription.
Citizens Trust Bank. . On August 16, 1921, businessmen Heman E. Perry, James A. Robinson, Thomas J. Ferguson, W.H. King, and Henry Dugas (known as the "Fervent Five"), opened the African-American-owned and operated Citizens Trust Bank on Auburn Avenue to serve Black Atlantans. The bank played a key role in the community, promoting business growth while facilitating homeownership for a larger number of African Americans. In 1934 the bank was the first African-American-owned bank to gain Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation membership, and in 1947 it became the first African-American owned bank to join the Federal Reserve System. In 1955, Citizens Trust Bank opened its first branch location at this site. Today, Citizens Trust Bank is one of the United States' largest African-American-owned financial institutions and remains headquartered in Atlanta while serving communities across the country.
On August 16, 1921, businessmen Heman E. Perry, James A. Robinson, Thomas J. Ferguson, W.H. King, and Henry Dugas (known as the "Fervent Five"), opened the African-American-owned and operated Citizens Trust Bank on Auburn Avenue to serve Black Atlantans. The bank played a key role in the community, promoting business growth while facilitating homeownership for a larger number of African Americans. In 1934 the bank was the first African-American-owned bank to gain Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation membership, and in 1947 it became the first African-American owned bank to join the Federal Reserve System. In 1955, Citizens Trust Bank opened its first branch location at this site. Today, Citizens Trust Bank is one of the United States' largest African-American-owned financial institutions and remains headquartered in Atlanta while serving communities across the country.
Erected 2025 by Georgia Historical Society and Citizens Trust Bank. (Marker Number 60-41.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical date for this entry is August 16, 1921.
Location. 33° 45.289′ N,
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84° 25.147′ W. Marker is in Atlanta, Georgia, in Fulton County. It is in Washington Park. It is on Martin Luther King Jr Drive Southwest west of Newcastle Street Southwest, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 965 M.L.K Jr Dr SW, Atlanta GA 30314, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Georgia’s Piedmont. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Deep South. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Credits. This page was last revised on March 26, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 25, 2025, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 150 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on March 25, 2025, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
