County of bank: Benton County
Location of bank: 174 W. Washington St. & Van Buren St., Warsaw
Marker on building:
Marker Erected by: Benton County Historical Society
Date Marker Erected: 1993
BENTON COUNTY JAIL
This building was originally constructed in 1856 as Benton County's first bank. The Mechanic's Bank of St. Louis.
It was considered the most expensive bank building in western Missouri. This bank thrived until the Civil War, when Warsaw and local farms were burned and plundered.
The building stood empty until 1912 when it was bought by the Benton County Court and converted into a jail.