Cattle Bank facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cattle Bank |
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The Cattle Bank, 2016
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| Alternative names | Champaign County History Museum |
| General information | |
| Type | Commercial bank |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Address | 102 E. University Ave. |
| Town or city | Champaign, Illinois |
| Construction started | 1856 |
| Completed | 1858 |
| Renovated | 1982–83 |
| Owner | Champaign County History Museum |
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Cattle Bank
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| Area | 0.8 acres (0.32 ha) |
| NRHP reference No. | 75000642 |
| Added to NRHP | August 19, 1975 |
The Cattle Bank is a very old bank building located at 102 E. University Ave. in Champaign, Illinois. It was built in 1858 and is the oldest known business building in Champaign. It first opened as a branch of the Grand Prairie Bank from Urbana, Illinois.
Champaign was the end of a train line that went to Chicago. Because of this, cattle ranchers from nearby areas would bring their cattle to Champaign. They would then ship them by train to the Chicago market. The Cattle Bank helped these cattle ranchers with money and loans.
The building was only a bank for three years. During that time, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln even cashed a check there! From 1861 to 1971, many different businesses used the building. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places (a list of important old places) in 1975. The building was fixed up in 1983. Since 2001, the Cattle Bank has been the home of the Champaign County History Museum.
Contents
History of the Cattle Bank
In 1854, the Illinois Central Railroad built train tracks about 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Urbana, Illinois. In 1855, the town of West Urbana was started. This town was later renamed Champaign in 1860.
Before the railroad came, farmers raised many cattle on the big grassy plains nearby. They used to sell their cattle by walking them all the way to Indianapolis or Chicago. The new railroad promised quick train shipments to Chicago.
Starting the Bank
In 1856, the Grand Prairie Bank saw a big change coming for cattle farming in Illinois. So, they opened a temporary office in the new town. In 1857, the bank's leaders built a two-story brick building for this office. It was made in the Italianate style, which was a popular building style back then.
In 1858, the temporary bank office closed. The new, finished Cattle Bank then took over the business. Just a few years later, a rich cattle owner brought in cattle that had a sickness called hoof-and-mouth disease. This sickness spread, and the cattle business in central Illinois fell apart. On June 17, 1861, the Cattle Bank closed because of this economic problem.
After the Bank Closed
From 1865 to the 1870s, a man named Nicholas Miller used the building to make mineral water. After that, it was rented out and used as a drug and grocery store until 1893. Then, the McGraw family bought it. It was known as McGraw Grocery until 1936.
A local pharmacist named William Kuesink bought the building in 1936. He moved his drug store into it, which stayed there until 1951. It was then sold again and became Heimlicher's Sundries, another drug store. This was the last business to use the building.
Saving the Building
In 1971, a fire almost completely destroyed the building. It was so damaged that it couldn't be used. Developers planned to tear it down. However, a group called the Preservation and Conservation Association of Champaign County (PACA) stopped them. This group was finding important old places in Champaign County with the Champaign County History Museum.
The group successfully saved the building. They got it added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 19, 1975. This made it harder to tear down.
In 1977, the Champaign City Council bought the building for $14,500. In September 1981, PACA asked the city if they could take over fixing up the building. The city agreed. Later that year, the group got money from the government and a $50,000 loan to help pay for the project. The work started in March 1982. The project joined the original Cattle Bank building with the building next to it, called the Oakley building. The work was finished in 1983.
The Museum Today
The Cattle Bank building has been the home of the Champaign County History Museum since 2001. The museum started in 1972 and first opened for visitors in 1974. It was originally located in the Wilber Mansion in Urbana, Illinois.
The museum sold the mansion in 1997. They used the money from the sale to buy the Cattle Bank building. Moving to the new building meant the museum had much less space to show its collection. There are only five areas where they can display things. This means the museum can only show about one percent of its collection at any time. The rest of their items are kept in storage nearby.
