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National Bank Notes > North Dakota

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Grafton, First NB, W2840
Fr. 624 $10 1902PB
Grade: PMG Ch. Fine 15    

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This bank was chartered early but no Territorials and no notes earlier than Blue Seals have been recorded. There was 10,419 large size sheets printed and only eight are reported. Signed by Frank H. Sprague, President and M.H. Sprague, Cashier. Grafton is the county seat of Walsh County. As of the 2010 Census, the city of Grafton had a population of 4,284, making it the thirteenth largest city in North Dakota; a peak population of 5,946 was recorded in 1970. In 1879 Thomas Cooper built the first structure on the Grafton site, naming the town after the county in New Hampshire, and securing the first post office for the area. In1881, Grafton incorporated as a village. On August 20, 1881 Walsh County was organized with Grafton designated as the county seat. The village became a city in 1883 with Stewart Cairncross as mayor, and the State Institute for the Feebleminded was founded here in 1903 with Dr. L. B. Baldwin as Superintendent. Grafton's Carnegie Regional Library opened in 1897 and is North Dakota's first public library. Built in 1907 and large enough for a priest and two altar servers, Grafton's St. Joseph's Chapel is one of the smallest chapels in America. Mass is held there once a year.

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