Farmers Bank of Mathews

The tan building on the right above is the Mathews Public Library, but when I was a kid it was the Farmers Bank of Mathews, aka my favorite bank in the whole wide world.

My parents opened an account for me when I was knee high to a heron, back in the days before the abacus ATMs had been invented.

All that was necessary to make a deposit was my little transaction book, which I timidly held up to the teller. She'd fill in the date and the amount of the deposit, and return the booklet. Transaction complete. No receipts, no pulling up the account on a computer--nothing, at least not that I remember.

Aside from the huge, gorgeous vault inside, what I remember most about that bank was all the free stuff. Lollipops--the kind with the stick looped at the bottom; pens (they were silver and white); plastic owl (not piggy) banks (mine was red), calendars--all kinds of treasures.

I was in love with the Farmers Bank of Mathews and was satisfied that this would be my bank forever.

Alas, some time in my teenage years, the bank was bought out. Someone can correct me because I'm sure to be wrong, but I think it went from Farmers Bank to Sovran to Nations Bank to Bank of America, but it seems to me I'm forgetting one other name change along the way. (United something? I can't remember. Update: Thanks to Kate in the Comments I think I've covered all the names now. What I couldn't remember was that it's now Bank of America, and I'd been calling the current bank Nations Bank which has been gone for years. My mind is as sharp as jello.)

Bank of America still gives away candy, and they also have coffee and cookies in the lobby. However, gone are the days when you hand over your little booklet and the teller writes the information in for you.

One service they do provide, however, is a treat for dogs that come through the drive-thru. These would be dogs sitting next to their owners, not driving the car, although around here it's hard to tell sometimes, they'll sit so close together.

The other banking option in Mathews, Chesapeake Bank, reminds me a little of the old Farmers Bank of Mathews in that it is a regional bank with a small-town feel to it. So far, though, I've not been given a plastic owl /piggy bank. But their candy is really good. And that's what's important in a bank.

The candy and the free stuff.

What memories do any Mathews folks have of Farmers Bank?

For the one other person reading, what memories do you have of your first bank?

How many times can Chesapeake Bay Woman use the word "bank" in one sentence post?