[2] A Greek Revival structure built in 1839–1841 in what was then called Shawneetown, it was the home of a series of banks into the 20th century.

However, at the recommendation of Governor Joseph Duncan, the legislature passed a new act on February 12, 1835, extending the charter to January 1857 and using the name State Bank of Illinois at Shawneetown.

[4]: 99  An act of March 4, 1837 increased the authorized capital stock from $300,000 to $1,400,000, of which $1,000,000 was reserved for the State and $400,000 for private investors.

[4]: 99  The Panic of 1837 caused holders of banknotes to turn them in at such a rate that the bank could not deliver specie on demand, and the bank suspended specie payments; to avoid a charter provision forcing liquidation on suspension for 60 days, the state legislature made indefinite suspension legal twice, once in July 1837 and once in 1839.

At the dawn of the American Civil War, Matteson feared that the Confederate forces might be able to overrun the area on short notice, and so closed the bank and sold the building, for only $6,500, to Thomas S.

Some restoration was completed in the 1970s but much remained to be done,[2][5] and the building was on the Landmarks Illinois list of the top 10 most endangered historical sites in 2009.