Farmer's State Bank

This was originally the Farmer's State Bank of Manawa, built in 1916 -- it helpfully says so right over the door.

When I lived in Manawa, the Farmer's State Bank was in a very modern building at the other end of main street, and the old building was being used as the town's library. The vault was still in the back, but the walls were lined with bookshelves.

Although I'm sure it was too small for them by the 70's, I thought that the bank made a mistake moving out of this rather elegant-looking cut-stone building. To my eyes, it's much more attractive than their modern replacement.

Its light gray stone front and flag pole are also very easy to spot in old photos, making an excellent reference point.

The building to the left was a tavern. It's a fairly modern building -- I don't think it shows up in any older photos.

The building to the right was a Ford dealership and garage. You can see a much better picture of it on this page.

These days, by the way, the library is in a new building across the river, in about the spot where Esche's Mill used to stand.

This wasn't a post card, by the way, not that I know of, but it still fits in with the rest of the Manawa memorabilia, I think. It's a modern photo that dates about the 70's.