Shawneetown Bank State Historic Site, Illinois, United States

5Taylor B 5:00 PM Sep 7, 2016

Time has forgotten Old Shawneetown
You don't have to visit Colorado or Montana or the Old West to see ghost towns. Illinois has a few of them. I first became acquainted with Shawneetown in 1955 when the tiny town's high school basketball team, led by all-stater Garrison Newsom, posted a 32-1 record and reached the quarterfinals of the state tournament in Champaign. For a town with a population of 578, it was a marvelous achievement. Over the years, I have kept in touch with the history of the community. Old Shawneetown is a village in Gallatin County. Most recently, its population was 278. Located along the Ohio River, it served as an important U.S. government administrative center for the Northwest Territory. But the village was devastated by the Ohio River flood of 1937 and the population was moved several miles inland to New Shawneetown. At least one record suggests that a village was established here in 1748. In 1803, Lewis and Clark are believed to have stopped at Old Shawneetown on their way to Fort Massac, just down the Ohio River near present day Metropolis. After the Revolutionary War, Shawneetown served as an important administrative center. Shawneetown and Washington D.C. share the distinction of being the only towns chartered by the U.S. government. Old Shawneetown is the site of the first bank chartered in Illinois in 1816. Another historic bank building, the Bank of Illinois, was constructed in 1839-41. It closed in 1942. This fine example of Greek Revival architecture survives as the Shawneetown Bank State Historic Site. The Marquis de La Fayette visited Shawneetown on May 8, 1825. The bank was constructed during Shawneetown's commerical heyday, In the 18th century, Shawneetown was the gateway to the Illinois Territory. The bank's features were sculpted in stone. Massive Doric columns sculpted of gigantic stone sections taller than a man rose from a sandstone foundation. The five-columned portico was high unusual for Greek Revival buildings, which usually have an even number. A metal gabled roof capped the structure. A long flight of stone steps led to the bank's portico and second-floor lobby.Tall wood-clad steel doors studded with iron bolts opened to the banking space. A steel vault was concealed behind 12-foot-high doors. A large spiral staircase led to a large office up above, presumably for the bank's board of directors. Behind the lobby were offices and back stair that led to four floors of the building. Living quarters were located on the third floor. The fourth floor apparently was never finished. However, soon after the new building opened, another financial depression set in, causing the bank to suspend operations in 1842. It stood empty for 10 years until the State Bank of Illinois opened there in 1854. A number of banking concerns occupied the building until it closed for good in 1942. Today, it is open only upon request or for special events. Take highway 13 into Old Shawneetown. You can't miss it.

5Jacquie P 5:00 PM Jan 31, 2014

History!
How wonderful that a piece of Southern Illinois history is still standing. It is a shame, however, that more has not been done to restore this place, and protect it from further deterioration.