Landmarks: Oldest standing bank in Illinois among ‘endangered’ state sites

Long before it was washed away by Ohio River floodwaters, there was a metal grate in the floor of the first bank building in Illinois.

Really just a log house in Old Shawneetown, owner John Marshall, who’d made some money in the nearby salt mines, dedicated one room to banking operations.

“There was a grate in the floor, and the money — gold, silver, paper money — would be lowered into a barrel in the basement,” said Tamara Briddick, of the Gallatin County Historical Society. “And...