Abilene National Bank

Bank Information

Episode Type: Run Only
Bank Type: national
Bank ID: 3777
Charter Number: 3777
Start Date: January 22, 1891
Location: Abilene, Kansas (38.917, -97.214)

Metadata

Model: gpt-5-mini
Short Digest: c21b7a71

Response Measures

Accommodated withdrawals, Public signal of financial health

Description

Short-lived run (under three hours) triggered by a rumor that the American National (Kansas City correspondent) had failed. Bank met all demands and did not suspend; business increased. OCR corrected minor spacing/typos in article text.

Events (2)

1. August 23, 1887 Chartered

Source: historical_nic

2. January 22, 1891 Run

Cause: Rumor Or Misinformation
Cause Details: Rumor that the American National (Kansas City correspondent) had failed, prompting depositors to withdraw funds.
Random Run: Yes
Random Run Snippet: Rumor that American National failed; Abilene lost only a few hundred dollars
Measures: Officers paid out currency from vaults; bank met all demands and displayed abundant cash, which restored confidence; business deposits increased.
Newspaper Excerpt: A rumor set afloat last evening that the Abilene National bank of this city had lost heavily in the failure of the American National at Kansas City caused some easily frightened individuals to make a slight run on the institution this morning ... the run lasting less than three hours.
Source: newspapers

Newspaper Articles (1)

1. January 22, 1891 Abilene Weekly Reflector Abilene, KS

Article from Abilene Weekly Reflector, January 22, 1891

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Article Text

A SOLID INSTITUTION. Abundant Resources Soon Stop a Run on the Abilene National. A rumor set afloat last evening that the Abilene National bank of this city had lost heavily in the failure of the American National at Kansas City caused some easily frightened individuals to make a slight run on the institution this morning. As a matter of fact, although the American National was the Kansas City correspondent of the Abilene National the latter lost only a few hundred dollars, it SO happening that it had little money there on deposit. When the run took place this morning the officers laughed at it and the currency was straightway forth coming for the depositors while thousands of dollars were piled up on the counters. The business men took no part in the movement but on the contrary increased their deposits, making the day's business one of the most prosperous the bank ever did, the run lasting less than three hours. Of course no bank keeps in its vaults a sum equal to its deposits but the Abilene National is so well supplied with cold cash or its equiyalent that it can meet all demands made upon it. The Abilene National is one of the most substantial institutions in the west and today's experience has served greatly increase the confidence in which it is held. Its officers are men of careful and conservative business habits and with a directorship that includes some of the wealthiest and most stable citizens of the county, the bank is in every respect an institution that S will do to tie to.