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Congratulations to Citizens Bank of West Virginia (CBWV) for reaching this centennial year of banking service to Elkins and Randolph County. I am sure Gov. H.G. Kump would be pleased and proud to know that the bank he and his friends started in 1924 has lasted 100 years.
CEO Nathaniel Bonnell and the current employees of the bank represent the integrity and steadfast commitment to serving the community that H.G. Kump exhibited in many different roles he played in West Virginia business and politics.
Now Nathaniel Bonnell can "rejoice in knowing that we (CBWV employees) have helped countless individuals and businesses achieve their financial dreams over the last century."
The Kump family is among those who have gained modest security because of the good financial practices they developed over the years by working with reliable bankers.
One of the things that makes Elkins a special place to live is the fact that many local families have been working together for generations to help the community function effectively. I remember hearing about Mr. Stanley Bonnell and Mr. James Heltzel who worked with my parents at Citizens Bank in the 1960's.
The same year that Citizens Bank opened, Edna and Guy Kump started to build their new home on South Randolph Avenue. The family had outgrown their house on Scott Street when two of Guy's nephews were sent to live with them after his sister died. There were eight school-age children in the house, and they needed more space. This means that the Kump House and Citizens Bank are both celebrating their centennial year in 2024.
The year 1924 was a busy time in the life of the Kump family. H.G. Kump was restarting his own law practice after serving under President Wilson in World War I, but he was always interested in politics. He supported his friend John W. Davis from Clarksburg, who had been nominated by the Democrats for President in 1920, and Kump had been elected Mayor of Elkins in 1921.
Guy and his brother Kerr Kump were becoming invested in local businesses and stocks, but they had little experience with banking. Although he did not feel that he had enough experience to be the Citizens Bank president, he took this responsibility.
His biographer Steven Gatrell (1979) quoted H.G. Kump who wrote to a banker in Maryland: "I approach these duties with much hesitation. I am a lawyer and a farmer -- not a banker, but I intend to do the best I can."(p. 51).
H.G. Kump served as president of the Citizens Bank longer than any other president. In 1933 when Kump became Governor of West Virginia, he was far better prepared to deal with the national banking crisis during the Great Depression because of his banking experience in Elkins.
His grandson Cyrus Kerr Kump now serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors.