The name of Mercantile Bank vanished from Baltimore more than two months ago but will return in a small way Thursday with the opening of an exhibit featuring Mercantile artifacts, history and interviews with former employees.
The exhibit is part of PNC Bank?s Legacy Project, which looks to preserve the history of Mercantile Bank, acquired by PNC last March. The largest part of the project will be housed at PNC?s Two Hopkins Plaza location.
Two other exhibits at the Annapolis and Frederick branches will open in the next week, with exhibits in Chestertown, Laurel, Westminster, Fredericksburg, Va., and Marshall, Va., already open to the public.
“The people we interviewed have a tremendous ability to connect with their customers at the individual level,” said historian Dean Krimmel, who created the oral history component of the project. “They were great listeners and treated people with respect and integrity. It went beyond lip service. It came through in all these interviews how much people cared.”
The Legacy Project began with PNC?s acquisition of Riggs Bank in Washington, D.C., and discovery of artifacts including checks written by President Abraham Lincoln. The Mercantile exhibits include interviews with longtime employees, depictions and displays of banking machinery, and currency dating back to the mid-1800s.
“You?ve got this incredible collection of money that the banks would issue,” said PNC spokeswoman Darcel Kimble. “Each branch has different types of currency that reflect the community they served, and has equipment that reflect the changes that took place in the banking industry.”
Krimmel said the project was valuable not just to the public but also to employees of both companies.
“They?ve created this bridge,” he said. “It?s a pretty good message to both Mercantile and PNC people that, we do believe in the same thing, that we?re not two different cultures coming together.”
Thomas Mariani retired in 2001 as senior vice president following 36 years with Mercantile, and his story is part of the oral history.He compared likely public interest in the project with that of any museum.
“I think it?s good to keep it in front of people,” he said. “I think it?s good that was recognized, and valuable that it was maintained.”
See the artifacts
Where to see PNC?s Legacy Project, displaying Mercantile Bank artifacts, interviews and information:
» Baltimore branch: opens Thursday
» Annapolis branch: opens Dec. 6
» Chestertown branch: already open
» Frederick branch: Dec. 2
» Fredericksburg, Va., branch: already open
» Laurel branch: already open
» Marshall, Va., branch: already open
» Westminster branch: already open
For more information and branch addresses, visit www.pnc.com/legacy.
Source: PNC Bank
