LEBANON, NEW HAMPSHIRE

The Bank began business on April 8, 1899, in the same building as the National Bank of Lebanon. The Bank continued operating in the office of the National Bank of Lebanon until 1927. By then, the business of the two banks had increased to the point where the space was not large enough for them both. At that time, the banking quarters at 28 Hanover Street had been vacated by the failed Peoples Trust Company. The Mascoma Savings Bank leased those quarters from Mr. A. B. Hunt and purchased the banking equipment. On January 1, 1928, the Mascoma Savings Bank moved into the new location.

For many years, the trustees of the Bank looked forward to the time when the bank could own its own home. The opportunity came when the old block at 60-61 North Park Street, formerly owned by the late Clara Churchill, could be purchased. The Bank bought this property in January 1950.

Plans were immediately started to raze the buildings and construct a modern brick building on the site. This two-story building was completed in 1952 and originally quartered not only the Mascoma Savings Bank but also Granite State Electric Company, the State Liquor Store, R. Thibault's Jewelry Shop, LaCroix's Taxi stand, Sun Life Assurance Company, and the law offices of Fred Jones and Robert Jones.

By 1973, the Bank needed more space and decided to renovate its building so that it could occupy the entire first floor. Banking equipment and furniture were all modernized and the interior was "opened up." In 1984, the second major renovation of the main office began. This project would last almost two years.

After two branch acquisitions and other growth experienced in the late 1990s, the growth was now taxing the Bank’s physical assets to the point of breaking. For several years, the Bank’s management contemplated the construction of an Operations Center. An initial attempt was made to develop the Ops Center on real estate the Bank owned, adjacent to its West Lebanon office. The City of Lebanon rebuffed this proposal. In an extensive search of the region, the bank identified property suitable for the Ops Center next to its Sykes Mountain Road office in White River Junction. A state-of-the-art, 44,000-square-foot Operations Center with a full service branch incorporated into it was opened in the fall of 2003.

Today, the Lebanon location is still the headquarters for Mascoma Bank and includes the Lebanon branch, as well as administrative offices.

An aerial view of downtown Lebanon
Construction begins
Where did the name "Mascoma" come from? The Lebanon Historical Society has some thoughts...
In the foreground is what is now Three Tomatoes, in the background is now the CCBA SportsPark. Mascoma Bank’s Lebanon headquarters is to the right.
When Mascoma Bank opened its headquarters in 1952, it shared the space with several tenants.