"Think Pink" The History of Dart Bank presented by Michelle Carpenter

Free Admission!! DART BANK AT 100 – A HISTORY THAT STARTED IN DOWNTOWN MASON – Join the Mason Area Historical Society (MAHS) for “Think Pink -- The History of Dart Bank,” presented by Michelle Carpenter, a senior vice president of Dart Bank. Celebrating its 100th anniversary in downtown Mason, this locally owned financial institution was chartered as The Dart National Bank in 1925. Dart Bank pioneered auto financing in the 1920s.
A leader in Toastmasters International and chambers of commerce, Michelle Carpenter will speak at the Society’s meeting on Wednesday, August 13 at 7:00 p.m. The MAHS meeting will take place in the Mason Area Historical Museum’s Virginia Schlichter Auditorium at 200 E. Oak Street in downtown Mason. The Society will hold a brief business meeting prior to the program. The program and museum admission are both free and open to the public.
Rollin Charles (R.C.) Dart began his banking career in the early years of the 20th century at Mason’s Farmers Bank, moving up from teller to assistant cashier. In 1906, he left that bank to organize a loan, insurance, and real estate business, which he operated until 1918, when he converted it into a private bank under the name of R.C. Dart & Co. Dart and his son, Doc Campbell (D.C.) Dart, later applied for a federal charter, and in 1925, the private bank became The Dart National Bank. The bank then moved into the street level of 100 E. Ash.
In 1935, a new front of limestone panels and smaller windows was added. The bank remained there until 1936 when Dart Bank bought the assets and dissolved First State and Savings Bank. The Dart National Bank then moved into First State’s former location at 368 S. Jefferson. A botched buff-colored paint job on the bank building turned out pink. The color stayed and led to the first slogan, “The Pink Bank on the Courthouse Square,” and a second slogan in the late 1950s, “Think Pink, Think Dart National Bank.”
Rollin B. Dart led Dart Bank as president and CEO from 1964 to 1999. Dart Bank left S. Jefferson when a newer headquarters was built in 1969 on the corner of Park and West Ash Streets. The Dart Loan Store was built nearby in 1983. The newest Dart headquarters is now built on the site of the neighboring Inco Graphics building, which was razed. Dart Bank has since expanded into many other mid-Michigan communities.

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