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Jan. 13--The old Bank of the Metropolis sits across from the United States Treasury in Washington, D.C. Thomas Jefferson banked there, and during his presidency, the legendary spendthrift sent the bank a note: He needed a little more time to pay a loan. Would that be alright?
Today the note sits in a glass case at the base of the Bank of America Corporate Center, in a small museum that opens to bank employees today, and on Tuesday to the general public.
The Bank of America Heritage Center, on the main floor of Founders Hall, is meant as a tribute to America's second-largest bank, and as a reminder of the role of finance in America's history.
"I hope Charlotte residents, in particular, will feel pride in the company that's headquartered here, and in the role that we've played over the last 200 years," said Allen Blevins, the bank's historian.
Bank of America is the product of several hundred bank mergers, but the museum tilts heavily toward the collections of a few that kept good archives and played central roles in the nation's history.
It begins with the first ancestor of the modern bank, the Massachusetts Bank, founded in 1784. One of the first American banks, Blevins describes its founding as a second declaration of independence, from England's financial hegemony.
Among the more astonishing relics:
-- The Massachusetts Bank account ledger of John Hancock, among the richest men in the American colonies -- and president of the Continental Congress that issued the Declaration of Independence.
-- A musket the government gave the Bank of the Metropolis to defend against the British invasion of Washington in 1812. Also, a record of the bank board's decision to flee the city as the British approached.
-- The camera used by Cecil B. DeMille to film "The Ten Commandments." California-based Bank of America financed many Hollywood movies. DeMille served for a time as a bank vice president.
Blevins said the idea for the museum grew from Democracy Plaza, a collection of the bank's presidential artifacts displayed in New York during the 2004 presidential election. (The bank won't say how many presidents have been customers, except that it's "a large number.")
As of Monday, the historical displays included no obvious mentions of African Americans, save a reference to the abolition of slavery. By contrast, Blevins acknowledged the bank made a special effort to highlight the role of women in its history.
"Banking does reflect what society was like at that period," Blevins said by way of explanation. "Women had a lot more opportunities than African Americans."
Blevins' favorite piece? It's a pair of muskets, from the battle of Bunker Hill, accompanied by a note from a young participant, explaining why the fight was important.
No one is quite sure how they came into the bank's collections, Blevins said. But as with the other objects, "We do feel like there's an obligation to share."
Binyamin Appelbaum: (704) 358-5170
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Copyright (c) 2006, The Charlotte Observer, N.C.
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