Lowell in Benton County, Arkansas — The American South (West South Central)
The Bank of Lowell
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., January 18, 2016
1. The Bank of Lowell Marker
Humphrey Barr, brother of Mrs. L. P. Davis, was an early banker. We know Henry Neal was the banker in 1918. He loaned Elza Tucker's mother $75 to buy a family sewing machine. He charged 10% interest and had a loan limit of $100. Elza has the receipt dated the same year he was born. Bank transactions moved at a steady but cautious pace for several years. That pace changed quickly in 1929 when the bank was robbed. Jude Austin tells, in his "Lowell Memories," how he was locked in the vault. That vault is still in place in 2009. Tin wall and ceiling tiles are still intact inside the upper part of the building, too. The original safe was moved and used at the First National Bank of Rogers under George Mills for a time, then brought back home. Although it was given to the museum, the city of Lowell has both moved and stored it many years. It is simply too heavy for the museum floor.
After the 1930's depression, the building housed stores run by Harrison Smith, Loyd Mabry, Orville & Edith Neal, Leon Chadwick, and perhaps others, but never again a bank. It was the first home of the Lowell Museum in 1976.
(A full account of the bank hold-up is available on dvd at the museum)
Topics.
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Location. 36° 15.446′ N, 94° 7.887′ W. Marker is in Lowell, Arkansas, in Benton County. It is on Jackson Street south of McClure Avenue (County Road 923), on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 219 Jackson Street, Lowell AR 72745, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Northwest Arkansas, on the Ozark Plateau, in the Cherokee Heritage Region, and in Osage Territory. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Ozarks. Globally, it is in 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, the Louisiana Purchase, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Lowell Postal Service (a few steps from this marker); Old City Jail (a few steps from this marker);
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, May 20, 2023
2. The Bank of Lowell Marker
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, May 20, 2023
3. The Bank of Lowell Marker
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., January 18, 2016
4. The Bank of Lowell Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on May 31, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 25, 2016, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 483 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on March 25, 2016, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. 2, 3. submitted on May 31, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 4. submitted on March 25, 2016, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
