Adel State Bank: 107 N 9th Street

  • Painting of the famous Adel State Bank done by William Wagner

    W. Wagner Bank Drawing

  • 1906 Picture of Block

  • Older clothing store with a man standing at the counter

    Williams Clothing Store

  • Front of the Adel Bank building with 3 long windows and Adel Bank 1881 at top

    Adel State Bank Building

  • Axis Seed business located in same bank building with 3 long windows

    Axis Seed - Current Occupant

  • Front Page of Newspaper - 1895

  • Two long firearms used during the robbery of bank laid on top of a white cloth

    Firearms Used in Robbery

  • Teller window used in the actual bank robbery

    Teller Window from Robbery

  • Very old safe in use at the bank during the robbery

    Safe from Bank Robbery

  • Gravestone of one of the robbers named Wilkens in Potter's corner. Very worn down and not a fancy gravestone.

    Robber Wilkens Grave in Potter's Corner

Adel State Bank

107 N 9th Street

 Built in 1882, the Adel State Bank was organized by S. M. Leach and Dr. Caldwell.  It was one of the leading financial institutions of the county being capitalized at $50,000.  It also had some of the wealthiest men in the county as stockholders.  The famous bank robbery of 1895 occurred in this building. At the time of the robbery, George Clark’s law office was on the upper level of the bank.  George heard shots in the bank below and rushed down to see what was going on. He threw open the bank door and stepped inside. The man with the shotgun whirled, pointed the gun straight, and pulled the trigger.The gun misfired. The shell failed to go off and the bandit worked the lever and threw the shell out on the floor and another from the magazine into the barrel. By the time the robber was ready to shoot again George had gone out the door and into the street again. Scroll down to see a number of pictures from the robbery including the actual guns used.

The bank moved to a different location in 1908. Since then, the property on 107 North 9th Street  changed ownerships several times.  It became a number of clothing stores in the early 1900’s, including the Williams Clothing store illustrated below. The building is often remembered as Fisher’s town and County Store or the Cameo Rose.   Currently it is the Axis Seed Company.

Architectural Survey Research

Narrative Description

Completed and first occupied in 1881, this is a 2-story, commercial building of masonry construction. The storefront is symmetrical conceived with an entrance flanked by store windows. The second story features three 1/1, double-hung windows surmounted by elaborate hood molds. Two brickworked pilasters define three bays, within which each of the windows is situated. The building is surmounted by brickworked dentils and an exuberant, pressed metal frieze and cornice with three pinnacles. (The central pinnacle is partially missing but could be repaired.) A name plaque reading "Adel Bank/1881" is situated above the central window on the second story. The integrity of this building remains high, and it stands as one of the best preserved, earliest, and most elaborate commercial buildings in the historic district.

Narrative Statement of Significance

This building is National Register eligible as a contributing resource to the historic district under Criterion A- It calls attention the evolution of land use around the Public Square in Adel and local entrepreneurs' preference to locate businesses within the 100 block of North 9" Street.

This building is National Register eligible under Criterion C as a contributing resource to the historic district. It calls attention to the influence of Late Victorian styling on its design, and, more specifically, to Italianate architecture. (See cover document.) The tall windows; pilasters used to define a multi-bay facade; exuberant hood molds over the second floor windows; and the pressed metal cornice, pediment, and pinnacles, which surmount the building are characteristic of this influence as practiced in Adel. When built, this was one of the most sophisticated Victorian buildings around the Public Square, and Its continued maintenance has preserved much of the building's integrity

Historic Uses*

  • 1880 sold to Jeritt EIi

  • 1881 two story brick building built by H.C. Hotchkiss and J.G. Roland

  • 1882 sold to S.M. Leach to become the Adel State Bank

  • 1882-1908 Adel State Bank

  • 1895 Famous bank robbery.

    On the morning of March 6, two men entered the Adel State Bank. The first man carried a sack r followed by another with a shotgun, who demanded of CashierS.M. Leach, "Fill that sack." Leach refused, and was immediately shot, although not seriously. Sheriff Joseph Payne happened to be nearby and fired two shots at them before the men left the bank. They grabbed a sack containing $260 and came out shooting at everybody in sight. J.M. Byers was shot in the hand, PostmasteBarr in the head and wrist, Cecil Decker in the head and arm and J.L. Simcoke in the neck. Windows in Miss Caroutte's store and Verne Russell's restaurant were broken by stray shots. George Clarke, later governor of Iowa, had an upstairs office. He opened the law office in 1978 and soon after partnered with John 8. White; name of law firm White and Clarke. The robber pu t the gun in George Clarkes's face and pulled the trigger. The gun misfired or George would have ben shot in the head.

  • 1908 Bank moved.19?? Sam Smith Men's clothing

  • 1915-1936 Br. Burk Orr Quality Store

  • 1936 Purchased by M.E. Williams. Williams Clothing.

  • 1953. Robert and Don Fisher purchased an interest.

  • 1957 Fishers took over complete management and changed name to Fishers Town and Country

  • 1954, 1958 Remodeling done.

  • 1963 Building was opened into rear half ofadjoining building to create present L-shaped store.

  • 200? Bought by Gene and Naomi Maas. Cameo Rose opened

    *Survey research completed in 2004 so only includes building uses prior to that time