Treasure From Banking Past
Sometimes, when things show up from the past, they come with an interesting story or journey. Such is the case of two old bank window panels that were buried in a garage for some 50 years.
Founded in 1867, Bradford and Son’s Banker was housed in a frame building on the east side of the square, having been established by James Bradford, who served in the Illinois legislature and has the distinction of being the first mayor of Greenville.
Under the direction of John Bradford, grandson of James, the bank received its national charter to officially become Bradford National Bank in 1910. At that time, the new national bank had assets totaling $2,224.50. Among the items included in the inventory were a safe valued at $1,625 (which is now located in the basement of the College Avenue location), an adding machine valued at $275, two clocks valued at $10, two guns, including a muzzle loader, valued at $15, a revolver valued at $2, and office supplies valued at $558.44. At that time, the bank building was purchased from the Bradford family for $200 per running foot.
Our story begins, however, the following year in 1911. To commemorate its national bank standing and to accommodate the ensuing growth, the bank constructed a new building adjacent to the old facility on North Second Street at a cost of $12,570.
The May 11, 1911 edition of the Greenville Advocate said, “The six large stone columns which support the cornice at the top of the first story add an appearance of strength and solidity to the building which is not out of keeping with the policy of the bank.” There was also a shooting range in the basement!
The interior of the new bank was “state-of-the-art” for its time. Pictured here are John S. Bradford, president and Jonathan Sharp, assistant cashier.
The new building was very ornate on the inside and featured elaborate woodwork in and around the bank teller lines. These wood features stayed with the bank until 1958 when the bank underwent a more modern renovation. At that time, the old wood teller windows were removed and their eventual locations were unknow.
In 1977, Dr. Hugh Siefken was tasked with cleaning out an old garage located in the 400 block of East Main Street in Greenville, that had been owned by Miss Marcia Barnes, who attended Greenville College around 1917. During his salvage work, Siefken discovered two of the old bank teller panels that had been tied together and tucked into a corner.
Siefken held on to the panels until 2023, at which time he decided to restore the white oak panels and clean the brass, which had turned very black. He had to replace a few pieces of trim as well as the mounting screws that held the brass grids tight.
Once they were completely restored, Siefken presented them to Bradford National Bank. A deep dive into the banks historical files found an identical match to the missing windows.
How Barnes came to acquire the old teller windows remains a mystery. It is thought that she was friends with longtime bank president Roger Riedemann and his wife Mabel.
The old windows will be displayed in the bank lobby beginning in 2025