Oneonta’s Own Fort Knox! New Wilber Bank Vault Arrives, 1908!

When I was a kid in Sidney in the 1950s, I remember walking into the old Sidney Bank on Main Street and being met with an amazing sight.  The bank's vault..there for all to see and with the door swung wide open!

I could only imagine what was inside.  Gold?  Drawers full of thousand dollar bills?  Deeds worth a fortune?  The vault..right there!  Open!

I never understood it.  A listener sent me in this photo.  Oneonta's Wilber National Bank must have been pretty proud of their new vault when it arrived in 1908..they even printed a post card featuring it.  And what makes manganese so special?

And look at the total of the bank's assets.  Remember, those figures are in the thousands, not millions.

What a funny card for people to buy and send.