Former 1899 Bank in Small North Carolina Town Now Sells Wine — But Its Mystery Remains Unsolved
A bank building constructed in 1899 in Murphy, North Carolina, now houses a wine shop, though an unsolved 1904 vault-blasting heist still lingers over its history.
One of the oldest and most distinctive buildings in downtown Murphy, North Carolina, once served as the Bank of Murphy, which opened its doors on January 16, 1899. Today the same building houses FairyCross Bottle Shop, having apparently traded its money-handling past for a new life selling wine.
The marble steps at the entrance show heavy wear, worn down over decades by the countless bankers, shopkeepers, and customers who passed through. The structure is considered one of the oldest surviving commercial buildings in downtown Murphy. While its original brick exterior was later covered with stucco, several architectural features remain intact, including arched doorways and windows along with the original marble threshold.
When the bank first opened, A.F. Dickey served as president, A. McD. Harshaw as vice president, and Luke Bayless as its first manager and cashier. Bayless was noted for his financial expertise and sound judgment, which contributed to the bank's early success.
Just five years after opening, however, the bank faced a dramatic test. On September 9, 1904, burglars broke in and blew open the vault, making off with more than $4,000 — a substantial sum for the time. The perpetrators were never identified or caught, leaving the case officially unsolved more than 120 years later.
The building is also said to hold another unusual detail connected to its original construction, adding another layer of intrigue to its long history.
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