Illinois Banking History | Illinois Bankers Association

Tour the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum

In honor of our 125th Anniversary in 2016, and in honor of all Illinois banks, we have secured sponsorship, in perpetuity, of a collection of 14 Illinois pre-Civil War Bank Notes in the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum's archives. If you would like to tour, please let us know - because of our sponsorship, we have 10 daily passes to the Museum, and we are offering them to our IBA members and their families. Connect with the IBA to secure tickets! 

History of Illinois Banking Exhibit

We invite you and your bank to help keep our industry’s stories and traditions alive by becoming a benefactor of our history exhibit to be on permanent display at the IBA Springfield office. If you happen to come across a historical piece of IBA or lllinois banking, please connect with us.

Fun Facts

• Nov. 5, 1891 - 62 bankers gathered to organize the association - three of those original member banks are still in existence under their original charters and names and still very active and proud members of the IBA: First National Bank in Beardstown and First National Bank in Litchfield.
• A huge shout out to the IBA's very first chairman, Thomas S. Ridgway. He and his partner founded the First National Bank of Shawneetown in 1865, and he became president of the bank in 1879. In 1874, he received the Republican nomination and was elected Illinois State Treasurer. After just the first decade, membership in the IBA had reached 866, making it the largest state banking association in the United States. 
• IBA's ceremonial chairman's pin was presented to the Illinois Bankers Association by then Chairman W. P. Halliday in 1895! Now more than 120 years old, it is passed on to each incoming IBA Chairman at the Annual Conference. 
• Way back in 1911, IBA's President was Benjamin Franklin Harris II -- "BF" to his friends. BF is credited with saving rural banking from becoming largely federalized, and America enjoys a competitive and robust rural banking system today thanks to his efforts. He was responsible for assuring a future for the agricultural banking industry by defending his industry, by appealing to the banking industry to fight for its future and inspiring thousands of bankers to get involved in what he called the "Banker-Farmer Movement."