The Gilleado Building
The Gilleado Building is one of the oldest surviving buildings in
Calaveras County. Constructed in 1851 of limestone blocks and adobe,
the stone walls were later plastered over with lime to help protect
against the elements. The thick stone walls served two purposes. As
this structure was once used as a bank, large amounts of gold were kept
here under armed guard and the stone walls helped provide protection
against robbery. They also were an excellent method of insulation and
kept the store quite cool, even during the hottest summers. The small
window in the rear of the building is often referred to as the "Shotgun
Window." Inside, the guard would keep his shotgun poised out the
window, protecting the safe full of gold, ever vigilant against the
threat of badmen and the wiles of the sandman. The building was damaged
during the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, afterwhich the walls were
stabilized inside with concrete.
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