First National Bank was organized and chartered by the State of West Virginia in 1888 as The Bank of Ronceverte. This was a result of a meeting of the Board of Directors on April 24, 1888. A resolution was adopted and members were instructed to locate a place of business for the bank in Ronceverte. On April 30, 1900, the bank received a national charter from the Comptroller of the Currency and the name was changed to First National Bank of Ronceverte. It was reorganized after the Great Depression and, with the implementation of the National Banking Act of 1933, became FDIC insured. From 1933 until January 1996, the bank was known as The First National Bank in Ronceverte and is now known as First National Bank.
The bank began operations in 1888 at 218 Frankford Road and stayed at that site until a new structure was built on the corner of Edgar Avenue and Cedar Street. The move to the new location coincided with receiving a national charter in 1900, and First National Bank has remained in that location since. In 1976, work began on renovating the bank and eventually the former building was torn down and replaced with a new building. This new building was built in three phases and extends from Edgar Avenue to Main Street, with the entrance on Cedar Street. The phases included completion of a Drive-In Facility in 1976, the portion facing Main Street in 1978, the side facing Edgar Avenue in 1980. The building was designed to meet the needs of the bank and the local community, well into the 21st century.
In recent years the bank expanded its community outreach by establishing branches in Lewisburg (1986), Covington, VA (2001), Hot Springs, VA (2004), White Sulphur Springs (2006) and most recently the Downtown Lewisburg location which began as a temporary branch (2008) and opened its full service office in 2009. Today, First National Bank is a company built on rich tradition.
