Ramona Banks

In 1903 the Ramona State Bank was organized; the bank building was just north of Strickler’s Mercantile, on the west side of main street. In the 1920s the bank purchased the lot on the northwest corner of the first intersection (now named Third and D Streets), and built a modern brick building.

In 1989 the bank changed ownership and became a branch of the Tampa State Bank. For over a decade, tellers from the Tampa Bank came to Ramona twice a week for a few hours, so folks could conduct their banking business. In 2002, the bank closed, and the building was given to The California Sisters (Pat Wick and Jessica Gilbert), who created a city historical museum.

Because the sisters had relatives in Ramona who had lived here all their lives--specifically their aunt and uncle, Henry and Gertrude Schubert, who were the town historians--Pat and Jess had many pictures and other memorabilia that needed a place to be displayed.  The sisters created on-going displays, featuring various themes: harvest practices, kids' antique toys, high school and grade school pictures, and fashion through the years.

Helping the sisters in their efforts to maintain the old bank building was their dear friend, and life-long Ramona resident, Tim Steinborn, dubbed "Tooltime Tim," because he was not only gifted in doing construction and repairs, he had a big collection of tools to get the job done. Routinely, throughout the years, the old bank building needed to either have the floors leveled and jacked up, or the roof tarred to keep it from leaking.

In 2009, when Tim unexpectedly died of a brain tumor at the age of 48, the sisters could no longer maintain the building. Many of the historic pictures were moved to other buildings for safekeeping. The museum closed in 2009, but the sisters keep displays in the windows, to add life to main street Ramona.