Looking out of the old Illinois State Bank building in old Shawneetown, you see what is left of what was once a thriving town in Southern Illinois. This was the most important commercial center of the whole state in the early 1800’s. Most of Illinois was an unsettled wilderness at the time this fine brick building was erected. The Marquis Lafayette visited here on his farewell tour of America in the 1830’s. The paper money issued from this bank fueled a growing economy desperately in need of capital. The huge iron vault is still intact and on display inside. Banks were extremely important in the early days of settlement and growth because real money ( specie ) was scarce and reliable paper was crucial for business transactions. The same situation exists today. Farmers who often times got paid for their produce with gold or silver also needed a secure place to deposit their money. This building still stands and was at the time the most magnificent structure in the whole state but the town is now mostly gone, a victim of repeated flooding of the nearby Ohio River and the shifting fortunes of commercial development. Today the sound of crickets chirping can be heard at night and the late summer chorus of cicadas high in the trees resonates and the long forgotten works of ambitious men come to nought. Vanity, vanity… a chasing after wind.
Tags: Old Shawneetown
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