I recently came across this postcard, mailed from King, North Carolina, to a woman in Walnut Cove. Unfortunately, there was no identification for the building on the back of the postcard. I made a guess that the building was in King, and began looking for the building in Chad Tucker’s book titled, King. Luck was with me; there were three photos of the building in Chad’s book, plus an account of the building’s history.
One early photo of the building shows the name, Bank of King, printed across the glass in the large window. This early image must have been taken when the bank was under construction; the name is missing from the front window.
According to Chad Tucker in his book, King (Images of America), Arcadia Publishing Company, 2006, the Bank of King was the first bank in King. It was chartered in 1914 and a bank building was constructed on the corner of Main Street and Dalton Road. During the 1920s, the bank became the King branch of the Bank of Stokes County. The bank failed during the depression and closed.
Chad reports that the building was then used as a hardware store and as a chicken hatchery. In 1955, the State Planter’s Bank of Walnut Cove purchased the building for a branch bank. There is a 1982 photo of the building in Chad’s book showing that the brick building had been painted white.
Today, the building is occupied by a woman’s clothing and accessories boutique called Dalton’s Crossing. The store has expanded into the shorter building beside the former bank structure. And, the natural brick facade has been restored.
Thanks to Chad Tucker for the help provided in his book which led to the identification of this postcard, and for his historical documentation associated with the Bank of King.
If anyone can identify the people in the postcard, please comment.
Postcard and photograph courtesy of Molly Grogan Rawls.
