The Farmers Bank of Mount Pulaski, Illinois
A view of the west side of Mount Pulaski's square as seen from the intersection of S. Washington (right) and E. Cooke St. (left). The strange looking building on the corner is the Farmers Bank of Mount Pulaski. The following information is sourced from the Farmers Bank of Mount Pulaski website which states the bank was established in 1872 when Leonard K. Scroggin, with the assistance of Walter Sawyer, formed a private bank, known as the Scroggin & Sawyer Bank. Mr. Scroggin was a local land owner and had a successful farming business which had grown to such an extent that he decided to open a private bank. The bank was originally located in a building that faced west on South Washington Street, about a half a block south of the square. This building no longer stands.
On February 7th, 1876, Mr. Scroggin bought the lot where the present bank (ed: shown in this view) is located to build a new building to house the bank. This building was very substantial for the time and consisted of the bank and a store with offices, a large opera house, and a dance hall located above. The building also included a three-story hotel and rooming house, which had 20 rooms in addition to a parlor and a dining room. Upon completion of the new building, the new bank was called Scroggin & Son, and a few years after that, was known as The Farmers Bank of Scroggin & Son. On July 1, 1914, The Farmers Bank of Scroggin & Son went public and was incorporated as a State Bank under the name of The Farmers Bank of Mt. Pulaski Illinois, as it is still called today.
I have not been found photographs of the 1876-era bank building that also contained offices, dance hall, opera house, and hotel. It certainly is possible the partial remains of that 1876 building have been "papered over" with the building seen before you. I plan to visit the Mt. Pulaski Historical Museum in the near future and will update this post soon after. Mount Pulaski's business district around the courthouse still retains much of its turn-of-the-century charm. All I can say is this monstrosity of a building contributes nothing to historical appeal of the square.
Mount Pulaski is located in southern Logan County, about 30 miles northeast of Springfield. The population of Mount Pulaski at the 2020 census was 1,537.
The Farmers Bank of Mount Pulaski, Illinois
A view of the west side of Mount Pulaski's square as seen from the intersection of S. Washington (right) and E. Cooke St. (left). The strange looking building on the corner is the Farmers Bank of Mount Pulaski. The following information is sourced from the Farmers Bank of Mount Pulaski website which states the bank was established in 1872 when Leonard K. Scroggin, with the assistance of Walter Sawyer, formed a private bank, known as the Scroggin & Sawyer Bank. Mr. Scroggin was a local land owner and had a successful farming business which had grown to such an extent that he decided to open a private bank. The bank was originally located in a building that faced west on South Washington Street, about a half a block south of the square. This building no longer stands.
On February 7th, 1876, Mr. Scroggin bought the lot where the present bank (ed: shown in this view) is located to build a new building to house the bank. This building was very substantial for the time and consisted of the bank and a store with offices, a large opera house, and a dance hall located above. The building also included a three-story hotel and rooming house, which had 20 rooms in addition to a parlor and a dining room. Upon completion of the new building, the new bank was called Scroggin & Son, and a few years after that, was known as The Farmers Bank of Scroggin & Son. On July 1, 1914, The Farmers Bank of Scroggin & Son went public and was incorporated as a State Bank under the name of The Farmers Bank of Mt. Pulaski Illinois, as it is still called today.
I have not been found photographs of the 1876-era bank building that also contained offices, dance hall, opera house, and hotel. It certainly is possible the partial remains of that 1876 building have been "papered over" with the building seen before you. I plan to visit the Mt. Pulaski Historical Museum in the near future and will update this post soon after. Mount Pulaski's business district around the courthouse still retains much of its turn-of-the-century charm. All I can say is this monstrosity of a building contributes nothing to historical appeal of the square.
Mount Pulaski is located in southern Logan County, about 30 miles northeast of Springfield. The population of Mount Pulaski at the 2020 census was 1,537.