America's Credit Union Museum is located in
Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is the List of municipalities in New Hampshire, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. Located on the banks of the Merrimack River, it had a population of 115,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Manches ...
, on the site of the first
credit union
A credit union is a member-owned nonprofit organization, nonprofit cooperative financial institution. They may offer financial services equivalent to those of commercial banks, such as share accounts (savings accounts), share draft accounts (che ...
founded in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. The museum is housed at the original location for
St. Mary's Cooperative Credit Association, renamed in 1925 to La Caisse Populaire Ste.-Marie, or "Bank of the People", St. Mary's. In 1996, the building was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
as the Building at 418–420 Notre Dame Ave.
What is now the museum was formerly a three-story, three-family dwelling belonging to
Joseph Boivin, the manager of the St. Mary's Cooperative Credit Association.
Boivin started the credit union with the help of
Monsignor Pierre Hevey and
Alphonse Desjardins. The building was donated to the museum by Mr. & Mrs. Armand Lemire. To create the museum, the first two floors were converted into exhibit space about credit union history in the United States. The first floor pays tribute to the founding era of the credit union from 1908 to 1933. The second floor has historical artifacts beginning from 1934, featuring the Estes Park conference that created the
Credit Union National Association
The Credit Union National Association, commonly known as CUNA (pronounced "Cue-Nuh"), was a national trade association for both state- and federally chartered credit unions located in the United States. CUNA provided member credit unions with tr ...
, and the 1934
Federal Credit Union Act
The Federal Credit Union Act is an Act of Congress enacted in 1934. The purpose of the law was to make credit available and promote thrift through a national system of nonprofit, cooperative credit unions. This Act established the federal Credit ...
which enabled credit unions to be established in all states in the nation. The third floor contains an 85-person capacity meeting space with LCD projectors.
See also
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Sainte Marie Roman Catholic Church Parish Historic District, and
Ste. Marie Church (Manchester, New Hampshire), also located on Notre Dame Avenue in Manchester
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New Hampshire Historical Marker No. 208: St. Mary's Bank Credit Union / La Caisse Populaire Sainte-Marie
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History of credit unions
Credit unions are not-for-profit financial cooperatives. In the early stages of development of a nation's financial system, unserved and underserved populations had to rely on risky and expensive informal economy, informal financial services from ...
* Monsignor
Pierre Hevey
*
Edward Filene
Edward Albert Filene (September 3, 1860 – September 26, 1937) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He is best known for building the Filene's department store chain and for his decisive role in pioneering credit unions across the U ...
References
External links
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{{NRHP in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire
Credit unions of the United States
Credit unions based in New Hampshire
Museums in Manchester, New Hampshire
Numismatic museums in the United States
History museums in New Hampshire
Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire
National Register of Historic Places in Manchester, New Hampshire