Bank of Speed - Prairie Home, MO
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 38° 48.751 W 092° 35.436
15S E 535544 N 4296051
Strange old place and name. Prairie Home has a population of about 220
Waymark Code: WMR2M0
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 05/03/2016
Views: 2
County of bank: Cooper County
Location of bank: Main St., S. of Hwy Drive, Prairie Home
Strange name, so I thought this will be easy to find stuff on the internet.
How wrong I was.
Bank of Speed started in Speed, MO (wherever that was) in the 1870s, they opened a branch in Prairie Home in 1900.
The financial soundness of the bank in 1893 was they had capitol of $10,000 and a cash on hand of $650. They were solid according to the rules of the day.
Bank examiner records stop listing this bank in 1916.
According to a few local I talk with, there has not been a bank operating i this building since the 40s.
YET, look close and you will see a night drop box in the front wall.
Oral tradition says this building was built around 1880
"Speed was plotted August 20, 1868 and called New Palestine, to distinguish it from the town Old Palestine near which it was located. About 1903 the name was changed to Speed in honor of Austin Speed, a conductor on the Missouri Pacific Railroad. Until the name was changed much of the mail went to New Palestine, Texas." ~ R.W. Whitlow; Dr. Wm. Mittelbach, Cited on Rand McNally's Map of Cooper County 1910