Merchants National Bank - Lehigh, OK
Posted by: 
hamquilter
N 34° 28.110 W 096° 13.432
14S E 754989 N 3817602
Once a thriving bank in a prosperous town, this bank stands alone in a ghost town.
Waymark Code: WM145KY
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 04/21/2021
Views: 2
The town of Lehigh was first settled in 1877 when coal was discovered here. Merchants National Bank, first established in 1879, built this bank building in 1907. By 1907 when Oklahoma became a State, it was a prosperous town, with a population over over 4000.The mines shut down in the 1920's and a boll weevil infestation devastated the cotton crop; then came the Great Depression, which finished the job. The town declined rapidly, and by 1960, there was no longer a school or railroad. Several bad fires took many of the remaining buildings.
Today, the town consists of about 285 faithful residents, a post office, fire department and tiny town hall. In 1907 when this bank building was constructed the town had several banks, cotton gins, numerous businesses and a thriving economy.
The bank stands on the southwest corner of Main Street and Railway Street. It is a two-story red brick building in the Late Victorian/Renaissance style. The roof is flat with a raised pediment wall on the north and east sides. The main entrance is a canted entry on the northeast corner. The recessed entry has two wood and glass doors. The porch openings are arched with metal filigris in the arch. All windows and doors in the building have been covered with wire mess for protection. Windows are two-over-two with arched lintels. Beneath the windows on both levels, there are rusticated sandstone sills, connected to each other with two rows of tan brick, forming a continuous belt course. Flanking the canted entrance are two large arched windows with segmented fans.
Approximately three feet from the roof line are three rows of tan brick corbelling. Above this on both elevations at the northeast corner concrete panels read "MERCHANTS NATIONAL BANK". On the north side the roof line is interrupted by a semi-circular pediment showing the date "1907". Above the entry on the roof is a small, steeply-pitched pyramid-shaped tower.
In 1985, the Lehigh Historical Society refurbished the building and established a historical museum here. It was placed on the National Register in 2006.