Moultrie Banking Company

Bob Bearden’s cross-roads store was on the property occupied now by Colquitt Loan Company. For a time it was the only store in town. Records show Robert Bearden was one of the first merchants in the late 1800s. Robert Bearden, is credited with bringing the first bricks into Colquitt County. He used the bricks for pillars under his cross-roads store. If you look at the first known hand-drawn map of Moultrie from 1881, this business can be seen as a landmark.

As the town got bigger and more people moved here, the need for a bank grew. In 1896 Moultrie’s first bank was established. Before that, those that needed a large sum of money, to cash a check, or to make a deposit had to travel by horse & buggy, ox cart, or rail to Tifton, Thomasville, or Albany. This meant a full day round trip just to do your banking business.
In 1896 the Moultrie Banking Company opened its doors with William Ashburn as its first President. It was located on the northeast corner of the North Broad Street and West Broad Street intersection now known as the Central Avenue and Main Street intersection. The original structure was a 2-story red brick building. The bank occupied the first floor, with a law office and an insurance company on the second. Moultrie Banking Company is considered the father of many industries in Moultrie because of the financing it provided.

As Moultrie grew, the bank needed more space. In 1924 the brick building was torn down, and a new two-story limestone building was constructed in its place. During construction, the bank operated out of the building that now houses the Welcome Center. The new bank building was completed in 1925 and opened for business on March 10. The public was invited to view the magnificent architectural details, the huge vault, and the convenient safety deposit boxes. This building is the one that still stands there today.

 

A building renovation took place in 1954. The original window sashes were replaced with glass bricks, and many of the original architectural details were stripped from the building. In December of 1969, the Moultrie Banking Company officially changed their name to the Citizens and Southern Bank. On October 19, 1970 they moved as C&S to their new building on South Main Street.

On December 3, 1971 The Moultrie Banking Company Building was bought by Doug Turner. In 1979 Colquitt County Federal Savings and Loan Assoc. moved into the building. Followed by Georgia Federal in 1982. 

In July 1993, the building was bought by Dan and Jimmy Jeter to house their Colquitt Loan Business. The Jeters used the original blue prints and early photographs to restore the exterior to its original appearance with limited interior restoration. Renovations of the Neoclassical building began in 1993. It was occupied in May of 1994.

Colquitt Loan Company has now been at the building located at 1 East Central Ave. since 1994.

This building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

 

Businesses that have been in this location over the years

1856: Bob Bearden’s cross-roads store
1896: Moultrie Banking Company
1969:Moultrie Banking Company changed its name to the Citizens and Southern Bank
1979: Colquitt County Federal Savings and Loan Assoc.
1982: Georgia Federal
1994: Colquitt Loan Company