Chickasaw Bank Museum debuts ‘A Look into the Past’

This article appeared in the October 2022 edition of the Chickasaw Times

TISHOMINGO, Okla. - The Chickasaw Bank Museum in Tishomingo debuted a new exhibit during this year’s Chickasaw Annual Meeting and Festival.

“Tishomingo: A Look into the Past” showcases photographs of Tishomingo from the late 1800s to the 1940s. Visitors can see as Main Street changes throughout the years. Several of the oldest photographs date from the years prior to 1907 Oklahoma statehood.

“Tishomingo: A Look into the Past” runs through the end of the year.

Chickasaw Nation Governor Robert M. Harris, who served from 1896-1898, was the visionary behind the two-story Romanesque bank. The bank was built from the granite of his personal quarry.

The Bank of the Chickasaw Nation was built in 1902 on Tishomingo’s Main Street. Banking operations began with $25,000 in capital, which doubled in a few days. After its life as a bank, the building was purchased by the city of Tishomingo and used as a city hall and jail.

The Johnston County Historical Society launched the building’s restoration in the 1970s and transformed it into a time machine. A stroll inside today is like walking back in time.

The Chickasaw Bank Museum, at 413 W. Main Street, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.

The Chickasaw Nation has operated the bank museum since 2014, through a partnership with the Johnston County Historical Society. The former bank building stands as a testament to the cooperation among the City of Tishomingo, the Johnston County Historical Society and the Chickasaw Nation.

The Chickasaw Nation’s historic business in banking is echoed today through Chickasaw Community Bank, which opened in 2002 and has thrived under steady leadership and a commitment to customers since.

You can still catch “Tishomingo: A Look into the Past.” The museum is open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, and the exhibit is open to the public until Dec. 31.

For more information, contact the Chickasaw Bank Museum at (580) 371-3141.