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Monday - Friday 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Saturday 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
International Bank of Amherst
PO Box 39
Amherst, WI 54406
International Bank of Amherst
103 South Main Street
Amherst, WI 54406
Main line: 715-824-3325
Fax: 715-824-2333
We are frequently asked why the International Bank
of Amherst has not merged with one of the larger banks. We believe our
community would suffer if it didn’t have a locally owned and controlled
bank.
As an independent community bank, we are owned and
operated by people from the community . . . you can find them in church,
in the grocery store, and at the PTO meeting. Our employees are active
in our community and volunteer time for local organizations, events,
and fundraisers.
Since we were founded in 1893, we’ve had the
same name, we’ve been at the same location, and we’ve continued
to use the same guiding principles when making business decisions.
Our decisions are based on what we see and know about the local community.
Our decisions are made by people who live here - not by nameless members
of a board who live hundreds of miles away. Too often, their decisions
are based on computer printouts and financial trends of larger cities.
Our interests are your interests - only when the community
prospers will we prosper. Nearly all the money deposited in this bank
is reinvested back into the community in the form of loans and investments.
This generates jobs, which lead to purchases, which lead to local economic
expansion.
Only through a community bank do dollars earned at
home, spent at home, and banked at home make their way to investments
that, in turn, nourish the community that made them possible in the
first place.
The Tomorrow River area was first settled in the early
1850’s. The Tomorrow River, Flume Creek, and Spring Creek provided
power for the grist and saw mills in the area.
In 1871 the Wisconsin Central Railroad was built through
here. The Green Bay Railroad was built in 1872 passing just north of
the Village of Amherst. As a result of the two railroads and Federal
Highway 18, the area became an important business center for buying
and selling potatoes.
The community needed a bank, as the nearest banks were
located in Stevens Point and Waupaca. There was talk for many years
of establishing a bank in Amherst. On November 25, 1892 a meeting was
held in the office of H.H. Nelson where 19 citizens of Amherst and Stevens
Point subscribed for stock in the total amount of $25,000.
The first stockholders’ meeting was held on January
6, 1893. It was decided that the name of the bank should be “The
International Bank of Amherst.” The articles of incorporation
were signed and acknowledged before Justice H.H. Scott.
On the 2nd day of May 1893 the bank purchased the lot
and building located on the corner of Main & Wilson St, owned by
H.H. Nelson. The board of directors agreed to remodel the building that
was built in 1851 and rent out unused space on the second floor.
The present bank building was constructed on the same
site in 1920. It has been remodeled several times, but materials were
re-used or duplicated to retain the original appearance. A large addition
& remodeling project was completed in 2002.
One hundred years is a long time for any business to
survive, including banks. The bank remained strong through several “banking
panics”. There were two major crises that the bank successfully
overcame. The first was a robbery in 1899 when over $5,000 was taken.
A special stockholder meeting was held and the stockholders agreed to
being assessed to cover the loss. The robbers were caught a few days
later in Wausau and some of the money was recovered.
The second crisis was the great depression in the 1930’s.
The bank continued to operate with the exception of the National Bank
Holiday. An editorial in the Stevens Point Journal on October 13, 1936
states “The International Bank serves an important territory.
It has rendered a high type of service. Since the low point of the depression
it has had marked gains in deposits. Having stood the test of the most
severe crisis in the history of banking in this country, the International
Bank is fully justified in viewing the future with confidence. And the
community it serves can be thankful for the institution that set such
a fine record.”
The same principles apply today: prudent lending, avoiding
speculative investments, making a reasonable profit, and maintaining a strong
capital position.
We have always made our customers our number one investment
priority. Whether it’s the expansion of a current business, start
up of a new company, or the financing of a family vehicle or home, we
are here to meet those needs.
There has been a Pomeroy managing this bank continually
since 1898. My great grandfather, L.A. Pomeroy was one of the original
stockholders. He resigned his job in 1898 with a Stevens Point bank
and came to this bank. Harry B. Pomeroy, my grandfather started in 1911.
My father, L.A. Pomeroy, began his career here in 1948. I joined the
bank in 1974.
We are proud to be an independent community bank. Since
our bank is locally owned, all decisions are made right here in Amherst.
No decisions are postponed because of out of town control. Please feel
free to visit with us if you would like further information about our
bank.
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