(Bangor, PA) Merchants Bank is proud to continue its support of the Slate Belt Heritage Center by sponsoring the printing of their most recent book, “From the Slate: O’r Llechen – The Welsh and the Folk Art of Pennsylvania’s Slate Belt”. The book, written by John Reinhart, Superintendent of Bangor Area School District, is the fourth in a series of ten books that the Center has planned for publication. A different aspect of the heritage of the Slate Belt is the focus of each book.

Merchants Bank was founded in 1890 in Bangor, Pennsylvania. The Bank, which remains headquartered in Bangor, has grown to include eight offices throughout the Lehigh Valley. The Board of Directors continues to proudly support the community’s organizations and individuals who have been instrumental in the Bank’s growth.

“Once again, as a result of this tremendous book series thanks to our friends at the Slate Belt Heritage Center, local historians continue to vividly document the challenges, successes and fortitude of our ancestors”, noted Anthony Biondi, Chief Executive Officer at Merchants Bank. Adding, “This series is must reading for local long-time residents and others who are interested in traditional small town values and heritage. Thanks to John Reinhart, the series continues to exemplify the literary and pictorial excellence established in the preceding three editions.”

“The Merchants Bank continues to be one of the most generous and supportive community partners in the Slate Belt area,” said John Reinhart. “By underwriting the costs of publication, they are responsible for enabling us to provide future generations with documented histories of the ethnic groups who created the cultural and social fabric of the Slate Belt,” added Reinhart.

The book can be purchased at the Slate Belt Heritage Center, or at Merchants Bank’s Main Office on Broadway in Bangor or the Bank’s Pennsylvania Avenue Office in Bangor. The cost of the book is $25.

Merchants Bank is a locally owned and operated community bank. Merchants operates two offices in Bangor, PA, with additional offices located in Mount Bethel, Wind Gap, Martins Creek, Easton, Forks Township, and Nazareth. MNB Investment Services is a division of the Bank and offers investment and wealth management financial services. The Bank’s website can be accessed at www.merchantsbangor.com.