In the late 1890s, William R. McKenney, an attorney for the Richmond, Petersburg, and Carolina railroad, set his sights on a parcel of land 11 miles southwest of Dinwiddie next to the San Marino post office. He succeeded in having the railroad establish a water stop in this community and the town named after him.
The emerging settlement revolved around its freight and passenger trains and a prosperous lumber industry. McKenney bustled with commercial activity, including the Bank of McKenney, first chartered as the Bank of Dinwiddie, which was established on June 5, 1906, with $10,000 in stock. The bank surpassed the odds and continued to grow even during the depression when many banks shut down.
In 1956, the bank made expansion plans for a new $50,000 building at the corner of First Street and Route 40. The brick structure, rectangular in shape and modernistic in design, was finished in 1957 and adjoined the McKenney Hardware and Supply Company building. It wasn’t long after the move that the bank changed its name to Bank of McKenney.
For 86 years, the bank remained a one-branch operation and proudly served the residents and businesses of McKenney. In 1992, the bank initiated its biggest change since 1906 – the opening of a second branch. With the growth of Dinwiddie County, bank leadership knew it was time to expand and offer customers more convenient banking. The Airport branch was opened at the entrance of the Airport Industrial Park.
Along with growth, bank leadership also knew that keeping up with technology was just as critical for servicing customers as the friendly smile that they had grown accustomed to know. When the Dinwiddie branch opened in 1995, it opened its first onsite Automated Teller Machine, now more widely known as an ATM. Having this modern-day convenience gave Bank of McKenney the “high-tech” edge over its competitors, all the while still offering the same down-home business friendly environment.
Although Bank of McKenney has grown from its original location in McKenney to a bank servicing the communities of Dinwiddie County, Chesterfield County, the City of Colonial Heights, and Prince George County, one thing remains the same–SERVICE. Regardless of where a branch might be, Bank of McKenney has always been known and remembered for its down-home, friendly service. It’s a business where people are treated like friends. Bank of McKenney takes great pride in knowing its customers and calling them by name.
