Citizens National Bank to celebrate 100 years, once flew tellers in company plane

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Bank tellers line up for a flight to Jefferson City.
Bank tellers line up for a flight to Jefferson City.

Citizens National Bank, in Maplewood, will be celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2015, and product development and sales manager Christy Byrd said they’re already planning the party.

They hope to have a newly remodeled lobby by then. The current lobby reflects banking in the 1960s, when a long teller line was the norm.

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A fire in 1966 burned almost everything but the vault, VP-Corporate Security Officer Dan Walper said. He’s been with the bank 35 years; he said he’s also the unofficial bank historian.

The vault has 28-inch reinforced concrete walls on six sides. It was installed in 1926, and is still in use. When the lobby remodeled the vault door may be more visible and the long teller line will likely be gone, since banking habits have changed.

Walper also said bank founder James Holton was a pilot, and had a mission for the bank to own small planes. At one time bank employees flew to conferences to places like Jefferson City and Lake of the Ozarks in a company plane.

The remodel will start upstairs in the mortgage department. Also, watch for the model trains to go up again this December.