A 19th Century Safe Finally Removed After 20 Years

A group of competitive weightlifters were given the challenge to move a 19^th century bank safe at the F&M Trust branch in McConnellsburg, Pennsylvania.  These weightlifters are known as Buck’s Body Shop and were asked to remove the safe because it had been non-operable for about 20 years.

The safe required six people to lug the massive treasure, which took more than two hours to move.  The antique safe weighed in at about 1,200 to 2,000 pounds.  This was the heaviest thing that the group of six took on.  Even the weight of the safe itself had bent an axle of a 2.5-ton floor jack.

Buck Carmack, one of the weightlifters says, “they must have built the vault around it. Back in the day, I don’t know what equipment they used, but it must have been good. There’s no way they could have moved it without heavy equipment.”  Buck’s Body Shop usually gets together twice a week to lift weights.  They also manage to hand move pianos, gun safes, furniture and other heavy equipment to stay in shape.  “We have a great time,” Carmack said.

Stiffel & Freeman, Philadelphia, manufactured the historic safe.  Their safes were primarily sold in the Northeast, as a variety of styles were usually found in banks and mercantile during that time period. The type of safe the group had to move contained a smaller safe inside for even more protection.  The safe is still in good condition as both lock combinations are still working.   F&M Trust believes that the safe was one of the first and original safes that made its debut in Fulton County in 1887.  That means the safe was continuously in use for more than 100 years.