Property Record
215 JEFFERSON ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Mead Bank (Henry C. Mead) |
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| Reference Number: | 71704 |
| Location (Address): | 215 JEFFERSON ST |
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| County: | Waupaca |
| City: | Waupaca |
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| Year Built: | 1862 |
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| Additions: | 1882 |
| Survey Date: | 1998 |
| Historic Use: | bank/financial institution |
| Architectural Style: | Greek Revival |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Clapboard |
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| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
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| National/State Register Listing Name: | Mead Bank |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 5/30/2003 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 1/17/2003 |
| National Register Multiple Property Name: |
| Additional Information: | A 'site file' exists for this property. It contains additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historical information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the Wisconsin Historical Society, State Historic Preservation Office. The Henry C. Mead Bank is a one-story Greek Revival style commercial building. It features a gable roof that is decorated with a full pediment on the main elevation. The walls have clapboard siding and are punctuated by openings with simple cornice moldings nad period glazing. The storefront consists of two large four-light show windows flanked by pilasters. The central entrance is recessed and has two glass and wood doors. The Mead Bank was built around 1862 and sat on the corner of E. Union and Jefferson streets. It was moved to this location to preserve it. The bank was the site of the infamous murder of Henry C. Mead in 1882, a crime that produced two trials, but no answers on who really killed the man. The Mead Bank is a fine example of a small, Greek Revival building from Waupaca's pioneer era. These types of buildings were often the earliest constructed in a community, but were usually replaced by larger brick blocks. This building, with its high integrity, represents the pioneer era of commercial construction in the city. The building is also historically significant for its association with H. C. Mead, one of the earliest bankers in the city. Private banks were common during the pioneer era and Mead's bank was typical of this type of commercial enterprise. The building is also notorious as the site of Waupaca's most famous murder, a murder that was never really solved. |
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| Bibliographic References: | (A) Waupaca Historical Society. Take a Walk on Main Street: Historic Walking Tours in Wisconsin's Main Street Communities, Wisconsin Main Street Program, 1998. (B) "Waupaca." Waupaca Post, 6 October 1881, p. 1. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |