Secrets & Mysteries of the Beekman Bank
Explore the “Secrets & Mysteries of the Beekman Bank” on the 2nd Saturday evening of each month through May when Historic Jacksonville, Inc. again opens the oldest financial institution in the Pacific Northwest for evening lantern light tours.
Established in 1856 as a gold dust office, the current 1863 Beekman Bank building was constructed by Cornelius C. Beekman at 110 W. California Street in Jacksonville when he became the town’s Wells Fargo agent. Over $40 million in gold crossed Beekman’s counters during Jacksonville’s heyday in the 1800s—equivalent to almost $1 billion in today’s currency!
The mint was in San Francisco, yet Beekman was never robbed. How did he safely ship his gold under the noses of the highwaymen? Fires destroyed all the wooden buildings surrounding the Bank. Why is the building still intact? Beekman ordered large quantities of opium. Was he a drug dealer? Beekman was supposedly happily married. Why was there a ring in his safe inscribed “Lois to Beek”? What was Beekman’s “office” really used for?
Regional historian Ben Truwe will be sharing these and other secrets and mysteries based on transcriptions of Beekman’s original bank records and his opportunity as a bank docent to explore the building and make discoveries of secrets thought to have been lost with the last Beekman.
Admission is $5 per person with proceeds benefiting the preservation and maintenance of this regional landmark. Tours are limited to a maximum of 12 people and reservations are required.
April tours at 5:30pm, 6:45pm, and 8:00pm are currently sold out. Any “no shows” will be filled in with “walk ups” – cash only.
Limited space is available on the 8pm tours on May 11th.
To purchase tickets, choose from the drop down menus below, click the down arrow to select your tour date and time, then add it to your cart. Once in your cart, specify the number of tickets you wish to buy.
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If you do not have a PayPal account, you can check out as a guest!
DISCLAIMER: All tour attendees do so at their own risk and waive any liability claims against Historic Jacksonville, Inc. or any volunteer. This includes illness and injury, as well as loss, damage or theft of property. Historic Jacksonville, Inc. reserves the right to refuse admission or eject persons at any time.