LOOKING BACK
The business of banking in Henderson, Nebraska,
was started by Jacob I. Kroeker by lending his personal money. He
started the First National Bank of Henderson in 1903. In 1907,
Henderson had two banks. The Bank of Henderson had a capital of
$5,000.00 and was known as the "Friesen" Bank. The First
National Bank had a capital of $25,000.00 and was known as the
"Kroeker" Bank. Jacob J. Kroeker was employed by his
father and later (about 1912) he became the owner. This bank was
changed to the Farmers State Bank about 1914 and the officers were
D.J. Kroeker, J.J. Goossen and A. Franz.
Jacob employed his brother, Henry J. Kroeker
(about 1919), and he worked at the bank until 1922 when he moved to
California to work for the Bank of America. Jacob sold the bank to
his brother, Daniel J. Kroeker in 1920. Henry D. Kroeker, the son of
Daniel, was employed in 1921 and remained an employee, along with
Ben Nachtigal, until 1931 when the bank closed. No depositors lost
money when the bank closed. Daniel J. Kroeker died before the bank
closed. For about three years there was no bank in Henderson. In
1934 the Henderson Co-op Credit Association was opened by Henry D.
Kroeker and Ben Nachtigal as managers. Ben Nachtigal left in 1942
and in 1943 the association was dissolved and the Henderson State
Bank was chartered under the leadership of Dean Sack. It received
its charter on October 9, 1943.
The owners and officers of this bank were: Dean
Sack, President; Henry D. Kroeker, Vice-President; Jacob A. Kroeker,
Vice-President and Maynard Grosshans, Vice-President. The active
officers were Henry D. Kroeker, Vice-President; Jacob A. Kroeker,
Vice President: Melvin H. Kroeker, Cashier; and Berdon J. Kroeker,
Assistant Cashier. Ralph H. Kroeker, son of Henry D. Kroeker, was
employed in 1946 until 1951. Seventy-five percent of the loans in
1943 were made to farmers, fifteen percent to businesses and
industries and the balance to individuals who were wage earners. You
can see by the percentage of farm loans that the bank and other
businesses were as they still are, dependent on agriculture. This
was a good year for the farmers who had irrigation wells, and most
of them did. Not much rain was received but the corn crop looked
good. The price per bushel was $3.30, and there was an increase in
costs of fuel and fertilizer. Retail businesses were doing well. The
bank remained at the same site, (where Henderson Family Dentistry is
now located), until April of 1953 when it was moved to the present
site.
On July 1, 1975, Henry D. Kroeker, Jacob A.
Kroeker, Berdon Kroeker and Dean Sack sold the bank to the Henderson
State Company, owned by Victor L. Michel, Lelan R. Thieszen, Wallis
Goertzen, Darrell Epp, Gordon Schmidt, Don Treadway, Fullerton, NE,
Don Janda, St. Edward, NE and William J. Gourley, Valley, NE.
Officers were Victor L. Michel, President; Lelan R. Thieszen,
Vice-President; Steven L. Michel, Cashier; Effie Siebert and Martha
Friesen, Assistant Cashiers.
The bank building was remodeled in the summer of
1983. The bookkeeping department was enlarged, two offices added and
the building completely remodeled.
In 2004 Henderson
State Bank completed a new, 6,000 sq. ft. state of the art building
and in the summer of 2006 a group of local investors purchased
Henderson State Bank.
Present Directors of the
bank are:
