July 29, 1833

The Old State Bank is a historic landmark in Decatur. It is believed to be Alabama’s oldest surviving bank building. The bank opened for business on this day in 1833, and initially served as a Decatur branch of the Alabama State Bank. The bank’s structure also heavily influenced architecture throughout the state prior to the Civil War. The Old State Bank was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and now operates as a museum.

Read more at Encyclopedia of Alabama.

Historic American Buildings Survey of the State Bank of Alabama, Bank Street & Wilson Avenue, Decatur. (Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)

Old State Bank Building, Decatur, 1939. (Carnegie Survey of the Architecture of the South, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. Purchase; Frances Benjamin Johnston estate)

Vault inside the State Bank of Alabama, Decatur Branch, April 24, 1934. (Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)

Historic American Buildings Survey of the State Bank of Alabama, Decatur Branch, 1934. (W.N. Manning, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)

Old State Bank Building in Decatur, 2010. (Chris Pruitt, Wikipedia)

This interior photo of the Old State Bank in Decatur shows teller cages dating to 1833, when the bank was built. The building has served many purposes during its existence, including a stint as a hospital during the Civil War. It is now a history museum. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of the Old State Bank Museum)

For more on Alabama’s Bicentennial, visit Alabama 200.