The First Brick Building in Ford County

While researching pioneer businessman George Wright, there is a statement in his obituary that stood out. It said that he built the first brick building in Ford County.  He started out in the retail business in Paxton selling dry goods and his business was located on the northwest corner of Market and Pells streets. He later went into private banking.  The article states that the building was constructed in 1863 but research shows that it more likely built in 1864.

The building was located on Lot 7 of Block 14 in the original town of Prospect City (Paxton). Wright did not buy that lot until February 1864 so it is unlikely that he put up is brick building before then. In 1869 he sold his retail business to Randolph Cruzen.  Later Cruzen would take over the business of his father-in-law, Remembrance Clark, directly across the street to the east.

In 1871 he installed a vault to secure funds and papers.  In subsequent Sanborn maps the vault is shown inside the building.

George Wright was still advertising as a banker in February 1883. The First National Bank of Paxton was started in April 1883 by buying out Wright with S. P. Bushnell as it's President.  There was a previous First National Bank in Paxton headed by A. C. Thompson but it changed to The Ford County Bank in August 1876.

The site of the First National Bank occupied the same place but expanded south into the original George Wright store. It successor now occupies the whole building.

Many businesses occupied the space on the corner on the ground floor and on the second floor. After Randolph Cruzen who was in the main store area, it was taken over by Kelso, Wylie and Co. as a drug store. William M. Wilson and his partner, S. R. Quigley in 1871.  Eventually Wilson ran the business by himself. He bought the building and made it into a grocery store.  Until 1913 it was known as the Wilson building.

There was a number of people who occupied the second floor of the building. Doctors, lawyers and other professionals.  Notable lawyers were J. H. Lott and Samuel Ludlow.

For number of years the ground floor in the late 1800s through the early 1900s was occupied by a number of hardware business.  None stayed in business very long as there were a number of turnovers.

In 1913 the building was leased to be used as the Crystal Theater.  Major renovations were done including the floor sloped to accommodate the showing of moving pictures.  The theater did not last long, until 1920.  In 1919 the building was bought by attorney M. L McQuiston.

Frank L. Stewart of Stewart Drug Store bought the building in 1923 and began extensive renovations.  With the completion of this work they moved from their previous location to the modernized store.  Mr. Stewart died in 1929 and his widow sold the business to Cletus Jayne and Gordon Johnson the following year.  This was the Greyhound bus station in Paxton for many years until it was moved to the Smith's Standard Station.

They ran the business until they sold it in 1939 to George Reimenschneider and Dwight Dennis. The name would eventually be changed to D & R Drug. This business occupied the space when the death of George Wright's daughter, Lora occurred in November 1948.  In her obituary it states the brick building built by her father was currently used by D & R Drug. This confirms the the building currently on that corner was the original building.

D & R Drug closed in 1982 and the First National Bank expanded into that space in 1983. In 2018 the First National Bank and Cissna State Bank merged to form the Frederick Community Bank. The building that now houses the bank is currently receiving a facelift.  It is a thread of Paxton's history that is still with us that we can celebrate.