On Friday, in conjuction wil the Helper First Friday event, the Western Mining and Railroad Museum will open a temporary exhibit showcasing objects and photos clebrating the Helper State Bank.
The exhibit will run for six weeks, closing on May 17. The museum will have a reception from 6-8:30 p.m. Friday.
On January 18, Key Bank donated items to the museum from the archives of the Helper Branch. This included many items from Helper Bank. The Helper Branch of Key Bank was located at the original site of the Helper State Bank, started in 1910 by Joseph Barboglio. The bank was moved to the current location at 136 S. Main in 1914. The bank was at that site for 99 years.
Helper State Bank occupied the building until July 3, 1978, when Commercial Security Bank completed its purchase of the bank. Commercial Security Bank and Key Bank merged on June 30, 1997. A branch was operated on that site until January 2013.
In addition to the Key Bank items, photos of the Helper State Bank and founder Barboglio, are on display. Borboglio was a prominent citizen of Helper for many years and served as town president in 1912-13 and was the town’s first mayor in 1913-14.