93 On September 27, 1951, the Bank of Clarke County agreed to purchase the Charles M. Feltner store building adjoining the bank for $17,500 (it was also referred to as the old Shackleford Store). The building comprised an empty room, an apartment overhead and the Carnation Beauty Shop. It was formerly owned by the Lewis Glover estate and was sold at public auction by Mr. Feltner. Mrs. Dorothy Paget was hired on January 31, 1952 as a bookkeeper, taking the place of Mr. Hardesty who was inducted into the U.S. Army. Mr. Hardesty returned in March of 1954. Beginning in March, Tip-Top Radio Service rented a space in the Feltner building from Bank of Clarke County. Architect J. Raymond Mims and Son were hired at $1,875 to determine a way to increase the employee working space and the size of the bank’s present vault (Mims was also the architect for the Johnson-Williams High School in Berryville). The plans called for expanding partly into the Feltner building. The east wall was knocked out and the lobby expanded into the Tip-Top space, enlarging the lobby area and increasing teller windows from four to six. Radiant heat was also installed. Mr. Hugh N. Ritter was contractor and was paid $37,500. George B. Thomas handled the plumbing and heating upgrades for $4,675. Mosler Safe Company installed a swinging gate and a six-hour vault door for the new bookkeeping vault. A new night depository was also installed. Total Mosler expenses totaled $2,614. Additional remodeling fixtures cost $7,058. The remodeling also allowed for the addition of 322 new safe deposit boxes at a cost of $4,444. The work was completed on March 1, 1953. Mrs. Marie L. Chapman was hired as a stenographer-clerk at the end of 1952. Directors approved an employee plan on February 19, 1953, to be known as Bank of Clarke County Pension Plan through Life Insurance Company of Virginia. In 1953 safe deposit box rentals ran from $3 per year to $9 per year, depending on the box size. An Open House was held on April 15, 1953 from 7 P.M. to 10 P.M. to mark the completion of the remodeling of the bank building. It was estimated that 1,000 or more persons attended. The men received a memorandum book, women a red rose and the children a piggy bank. In June of 1953, Mr. McWilliams was elected chairman of Zone C, Group III VBA Regional Clearing House Association. The group was organized to promote safe and sound banking practices and develop a better spirit of cooperation among the 20 banks which made up the group. Also in 1953, the Bank of Clarke County purchased 12,000 school book covers for $290.40 for the 1954-1955 school year, beginning a tradition that lasted many years. Application was made in December of 1953 to join the Federal Reserve System in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Reserve Act and the regulations of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, having to purchase stock in a Federal Reserve Bank in a sum equal to 6% of the paid-up capital stock and surplus of the Bank of Clarke County. The Board also proposed to amend the Articles of Incorporation so as to