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Enjoy a guided tour of the First National Bank Museum and discover the only known bank preserved in its original setting in the United States. The First National Bank of Columbia was chartered in 1864 and played a key role in the growth and development of Columbia. Marvelous details from the bank’s working years survive, such as the walnut paying and receiving teller cages, the furnishings of the President’s office, the massive walk-in vault, and the original check canceller consisting of a tree stump and a specially-designed hammer. See the bullet hole where the only known attempted robbery at this bank was foiled!

 

The bank occupies the two front corner rooms of the 1814 Federal-style townhouse build as an elegant home for wealthy merchant, James Wrights, Jr., grandson of Columbia’s founding father, John Wright, Sr. During its colorful and interesting past, the building served as private residences, hotels, a tavern, and one of the town’s first public libraries. The bank, and its owners, the Detwiler family, occupied the property for over 100 years from 1852 until 1954.

After the tour, be sure to allow plenty of time for Columbia’s charming shops, galleries, artist studios, taverns, and restaurants. And, don’t forget to include a short walk to the riverfront where you’ll discover the remaining piers from the pivotal 1963 burning of the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge. While there, stop by the Columbia Crossings building, which is the trailhead for the 14-mile Northwest River Trail.