120 years of history comes tumbling down in Coleridge

— Trisha Benton

Laurel Advocate

COLERIDGE — A piece of history came tumbling down when the former Commercial State Bank of Coleridge was demolished a few weeks ago to the dismay of some residents here.

“Things can’t last forever,” said Emma Munter of Omaha. “It had to be done.”

The bank has been in her family since 1902 when it was founded by her grandfather George A. Gray.

Although not the original structure, the historical bank building on Broadway Street had been in such disrepair that Munter said it became a safety hazard and it had to come down.

Back in its prime, it was quite nice, Munter said.

According to Coleridge history, Irish immigrant George Gray came directly to Coleridge once he landed in America, staying with distant relatives. He dabbled in farming, cattle feeding, home construction and lumber, until he started the bank Sept. 17, 1902.

He purchased the Coleridge National Bank building across the street when that bank fell victim to the Depression in the early 1930s and moved the bank’s operations to that location. In fact, Gray’s bank was one of only two banks out of 14 in Cedar County at that time to survive the Great Depression.

In 1945, James L. Gray Sr., Munter’s father, became the director of the bank.

Ten years later, a brand new building was built in its place made out of “brick, Tennessee stone, aluminum, glass and completely air conditioned,” according to the history books.

“I spent a lot of my childhood there, visiting and staying with my Dad,” Munter said.

Her mother, Ellen Gray, met her tragic end in January 1994, when she crossed the street from the bank and was intentionally run down by a vehicle driven by James Forsberg. He was convicted of her murder and died in prison last year.

The original bank building served as a town hall, library and insurance agency over the years but had stood empty for some time.

Munter said a group from Coleridge approached her about three years ago with the idea to turn the building into a Coleridge history museum. She said she was prepared to donate the building for the cause but nothing became of the proposal.

Although the building has been demolished, the land is up for sale.

“There are lots of places for sale in Coleridge as there are in any small town,” Munter said.