Douglas Flat

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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