United States
Virginia (VA)
Petersburg
Things to Do in Petersburg
Farmers Bank
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Farmers Bank

See all things to do
See all things to do
Farmers Bank
4.5
What people are saying
“Interesting history, great guide!”
Dec 2020
My boyfriend and I stopped by here on a quiet Saturday. The docent was enthusiastic and informative, telling us about the Civil War history of the bank up to some fun details about its use for film sets. Glad we stopped by!
“Impressive Property”
Feb 2020
The Farmers Bank is a 3 story 1817 Federal style brick building and is one of the oldest bank buildings in the country. It was built as the Petersburg branch of the Farmers Bank of Virginia and has been restored to 1820's era by Preservation Virginia. It is on the National Resister of Historic Places and has had many uses over the years and was unfortunately closed when we were in town. We were staying in an historic home on the alley around the corner and could see the back of the building and over the brick wall into it's attractive courtyard from our 2nd story loft.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
4.5
23 reviews
Excellent
15
Very good
7
Average
1
Poor
0
Terrible
0
Mark G
Catonsville, MD2,732 contributions
Impressive Property
The Farmers Bank is a 3 story 1817 Federal style brick building and is one of the oldest bank buildings in the country. It was built as the Petersburg branch of the Farmers Bank of Virginia and has been restored to 1820's era by Preservation Virginia. It is on the National Resister of Historic Places and has had many uses over the years and was unfortunately closed when we were in town. We were staying in an historic home on the alley around the corner and could see the back of the building and over the brick wall into it's attractive courtyard from our 2nd story loft.
Written March 3, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
dstclair
207 contributions
Wow--who knew?
Friends
This place is deserving of a half-hour of your day. For one thing, it's the oldest standing building created as a bank in the state. The teller's station--and money printing press (yes, they all printed their own back in the day)--and the vault--all there for your examination and review. And who knew this: back in the day, banking was a male-only business. If a woman had need of something, she had to commission her father or brother to act on her behalf. Aren't we glad times have changed?
Written March 29, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
InformedTraveller
Northern Virginia215 contributions
Great Place To Start Your Visit To Historic Petersburg
Couples
A well-preserved 19th-century bank on the ground floor. This is also the visitors’ center and we found the staff (of one) to be very friendly and helpful, and also genuinely knowledgeable about Petersburg, not just the bank. Get a map for your self-guided walking / driving tour. Plenty of free parking. Two particularly interesting items: (1) the surviving copper plate for the bank “money” from the days before the War of Northern Aggression when most banks printed their own currency for local use (due to the great shortage of actual specie in the U.S. at the time); and (b) the system for protecting the cash, securities, bonds and other valuables. It wasn’t enough for them to have a massive metal safe that spent the day in a ground-floor vault with a massive metal door. Every night, the safe was lowered down a shaft into a space that had no other access. Pretty neat, and something we were told was fairly common practice at the time. The building was also the residence of the manager and family. It would be nice if the upper stories could be restored and opened to the public.
Written March 16, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
ExperiencedEpicurean
Richmond, VA6 contributions
"A veritable 'wealth' of information to be found at this historic bank/visitor center!"
Family
Since the movie, "Lincoln" was released (much of which was filmed in historic Old Towne), we've been meaning to make the thirty minute drive from Richmond to Petersburg. We decided to start at the Farmer's Bank, which serves as the Visitor's Center. The staff embraced us with traditional Southern hospitality, graciously giving us an informative guided tour of the building and assisting us in planning our tour. We decided to take a package tour of three sites of interest. The staff was very helpful in explaining the timing of the tours so we wouldn't miss anything! We left feeling excited and confident that we would get the most of our visit, and we did!
Written September 3, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
mjpk25
Parkersburg, WV447 contributions
~lovely restoration~
Couples
supercool restoration of an old bank...perfect place for a visitor's center...guide was knowledgeable and suggested a great local place to eat!...
Written July 30, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
greg00
Holly Ridge, NC141 contributions
Good place to get information
Couples
Acts as visitors information center. Lady working was very helpful with information and directions. Easy to find
Written July 27, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
ronw
Ottawa, ON2,776 contributions
Well worth 15 minutes out of your life
Solo
I see there hasn`t been a review in nearly a year. Just say the tourist office people who occupy the bank are just as helpful as mentioned previously. The brief tour of the bank that failed nearly 150 years ago (too heavily invested in Confederate debt instruments) was interesting and informative, and is perhaps a lesson to bankers today.
Written February 17, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
CatMom2013
165 contributions
Cool Piece of History
Couples
What a neat place, it is preserved just as it was way back in the day. Gotta love the preservation of these historic buildings. They have old artifacts inside as well and encourage a tour. The young lady that was working there was very helpful.
Written January 31, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Marcus Squires
10 contributions
A interesting historical building
Friends
When entering this building I was taken aback by how authentic the whole building was, The vaults were very impressive and I learned a great deal about early American banking
Written December 24, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Larry Gold
Petersburg, VA39 contributions
Historical Petersburg Office
I personally found my visit should start here, for anyone new to Petersburg, looking for information on key attractions relating to the history of Petersburg. This office holds a wealth of information from the volunteer who greeted us, visited with us, and provided brochures on areas of interest. Please make this your first stop when visiting Old Towne Petersburg. Perfect for those history buffs.
Written April 10, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Farmers Bank (Petersburg) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

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