From vault to village: Historic bank becomes beloved community hub

In the heart of downtown Royalton stands a red brick corner building that has served the needs of people in the community for nearly a century. Built on the land where George Newman of Minneapolis once erected the first store in the village in the spring of 1879, the corner later became home to its current building, which was built by Royalton State Bank in 1927 and later evolved into today’s Pine Country Bank.

“There used to be a big teller booth here, and this used to be the bank president’s office,” said Denny Cekalla, pointing to different locations inside the building.

According to L.R. Lisle, publisher of the local newspaper, the Royalton Banner, Royalton State Bank was established during the 1920s shortly after First National Bank closed its doors in 1926. Heavy withdrawals early that year had left First National Bank without enough cash on hand. It also did not help that poor conditions that year impacted the agricultural economy and borrowers’ ability to repay their loans. However, Royalton State Bank quickly became a solid presence in the community through the Great Depression.

Click here to read the original article from the Morrison County Record.