Last Chance in 2015 to Step Behind the Counter of the Second Oldest Bank in the Pacific Northwest!

Enjoy the last opportunity this year to step into the interior of the second oldest bank in the Pacific Northwest when Historic Jacksonville, Inc. opens the 1863 Beekman Bank on August 8^th for rare “Behind the Counter Tours.” Located at the corner of California and North 3rd streets in Jacksonville, the Beekman Bank saw over $40 million in gold cross its counters during Jacksonville’s heyday in the second half of the 19th Century.

Cornelius C. Beekman came to Jacksonville in 1853 as an express rider for Cram, Rogers & Company. When their business failed in 1856, he purchased the assets and established Beekman’s Express, carrying mail, packages and gold over the Siskiyous between Jacksonville and Yreka, California.

He also purchased a large safe and offered to look after the miners’ gold. That grew into the historic Beekman Bank. Virtually all the gold discovered in this mining district passed over the bank’s counters until Beekman formally closed the bank’s doors in 1915. The bank and its contents have been preserved as a museum ever since—a stipulation in Beekman’s will.

“This will be the last opportunity this year for people to actually visit this time capsule,” says Carolyn Kingsnorth, President of Historic Jacksonville, Inc. “Instead of peering through the glass, they will be able to actually come inside, view bank records, see the gold scales, inspect the bank’s walk-in safe, and hear about the ruses Beekman used to disguise the fact that he was shipping gold.”

Thirty minute “behind the counter” tours will begin at the bank’s back door at 11:15 a.m., 12:15 p.m., 1:15 p.m., and 2:15 p.m. on Saturday, August 8. An additional tour originally scheduled for Saturday, September 12, has been canceled due to a conflict with the Jacksonville Citywide Yard Sale. Bank tour admission is free, but a suggested $2 donation benefits Historic Jacksonville’s preservation efforts.

For additional information about Beekman Bank tours, visit www.historicjacksonville.org or contact Historic Jacksonville at 541-245-3650 or info@historicjacksonville.org.