Born in Girard, Charlotte Elizabeth Battles overcame traditional roles by graduating from college and being named president of R.S. Battles Bank after her father's death in 1904. She gained national attention when she refused to close the bank after President Roosevelt ordered the Bank Holiday of 1933. A philanthropist and active in the community, she was the first woman appointed trustee of Edinboro State Normal School. This was the bank's home until it merged in 1946.