How it started
At the first meeting of Jewett City Savings Bank on June 20, 1873, Hezekiah L. Reade was elected President of the newly formed financial institution. In a petition regarding the new bank Mr. Reade wrote “a savings bank located in our village and properly managed would be a great convenience and benefit to our people, would encourage industry, economy, and thrift; would increase the general prosperity of the place and is much needed.”
Born on a farm in Lisbon in 1827, Mr. Reade worked in farming and paper manufacturing and was also a schoolteacher, but his true passion was writing. At one point during his career, he took charge of an agricultural department of a national magazine and authored several books including “Money and How to Make and Use It.”
He served as president of the Bank for 27 years, resigning on July 11, 1900.
How it’s going
150 years later, Jewett City Savings Bank is led by our current President and CEO, Michael L. Alberts. A resident of Woodstock, Mike joined the Bank in 2015 as Vice President, Commercial Loan Officer and was promoted to the leadership spot in 2021.
Like Mr. Reade, Mike brings a broad range of experiences to his role having served in the US Air Force and Connecticut Air National Guard, as well as having served as a state legislator in Connecticut’s General Assembly. He also shares Mr. Reade’s philosophy that a community bank contributes significantly to the health and prosperity of the communities it serves.
Source: Harpin’s Connecticut Almanac
