Local business owner restores 146-year-old Morgantown Bank sign

MORGANTOWN, Ky. – In Morgantown, a local business owner recently restored the old bank sign that stood on top of their building, which has been around for 146 years.

The Old Morgantown Bank has been around since 1880, and last Friday, business owner Laurie Keen finally got the sign put back up after nearly two years of restorations.

Keen and her husband purchased the building in June of 2024 and took down the bank sign in November of that year. And on Friday, April 17, they were able to put it back up after many restorations and help from people along the way.

Her new store, which opened last month and sits in the old bank building, kept some more of the original bank on the inside. The old brick wall, along with the flooring remain, and they even kept the old vault as well.

When the sign went back up, many members of the community watched and commented as this blast from the past was restored and put back on display.

Keen plans to repaint the outside of the building so the green trim matches the new black and gold sign, making sure to keep a piece of history in Morgantown for the next generation to enjoy.

“This is the oldest commercial building in Morgantown that is still standing. And so for it to be able to go back on the building to keep that history of our town.  It’s also been on many logos for our city. And just to be able to get it back so children can look later on and be like, wow, that was built in 1880 and it’s still there today,” Keen said. 

If you would like to see the newly restored bank sign, you can visit Mercantile on Main located at 127 N. Main St.