PERPETUALLYHAUNTED
Back to the atlas

Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania · Outdoors

First Bank of the United States

Alexander Hamilton at the First Bank

Marble columns front the First Bank of the United States on Third Street in Philadelphia.

History & local legend

The First Bank of the United States in Philadelphia owes its creation to Alexander Hamilton’s campaign for a national bank. When President George Washington gave him a week to defend the proposal, Hamilton produced a lengthy constitutional argument. The bank began operating in 1791 and moved into its Third Street building in 1797.

Local ghost tradition identifies Hamilton as the presence attached to the building. A visitor’s account published in October 2018 describes a more specific experience without claiming to see him. Kimberly Vearling said that when she and her son walked beside the bank, her fully charged camera repeatedly stopped working. A short distance away, it came back on and still showed a full charge.

Sources

  1. Kimberly Vearling, October 28, 2018, firsthand recollection beneath the First Bank legend
  2. Visit Philadelphia, the local tradition identifying Alexander Hamilton
  3. National Park Service, the week-long deadline, 15,000-word reply and move to Third Street
Suggest an addition or correction

Keep exploring

More stories in Philadelphia County.

Explore the county
Curved colonnade of the Merchants’ Exchange with the cupola above it.Outdoors

Merchants’ Exchange Building

Columns and broad stone steps at the Chestnut Street entrance to the Second Bank of the United States.Outdoors

Second Bank of the United States

Brick storefronts on the South Second Street block at Chestnut Street in Philadelphia’s Old City.Outdoors

Khyber Pass Pub

Visiting

Part of Independence National Historical Park.

Image credit

Carol M. Highsmith, Library of Congress, via Wikimedia Commons · License