15 South Main Street

This was the first building constructed in Clarkston for use as a bank. The north half of this cut fieldstone building was constructed by Jerome Vliet, local stone mason, between 1910 & 1914 for the Isador/Esidor Jossman State Bank, 1910. Tax rolls of 1914 listed the property as the Clarkston State Bank. Originally a part of Butler Holcomb's mill property, by 1844 this site was a part of Nelson W. Clark's holdings. The 1858 records noted a store here. Washington Clark Scranton owned this piece in 1862 and 1863. The property belonged to Bartlett and Dresser by 1865. John Harvey Dresser ran the inn at 22/24 S. Main in 1855. The 1872 map of the Village listed him as a fire and life insurance agent and shows the footprint of a rectangular building on the 15 S. Main site. (Mr. Dresser and his wife, Elizabeth C. Vliet Dresser, lived in the house at 24 E. Washington.) Mr. Dresser died in 1892 when his share of the property passed to his son, Charles Dresser, who shared ownership until 1906 with Washington Clark and Esidor Jossman's Estate. According to the 2/23/1900 issue of the The Post newspaper, A. J. Mills "rented the Dresser block and will open a first class harness shop." For a time Jasper Linabury had a furniture store on this site. (See photo, circa 1912, Heritage, pg.50.) Oral history has it that Esidore Jossman (residence 165 N. Main) started a bank while doing business in Nicholas Bonaparte Smith's store (Smith owned the property of the site of 1 N. Main St ) by using milk cans (Jossman had a dairy property on Miller Rd. for a time) for money containers. However, other accounts say the bank began in his own store which was apparently of the east side of South Main Street. 1881 tax records listed "Jossman & Carran" on the south 1/2 of Lot 6 Block 1. For a view of this 2 story wooden false-front building, see the photo in Heritage, page 62. The building is the one second from the right. According to the History of Oakland, 1912 (page 863 ) J. C. Bird and Esidor Jossman organized the Clarkston Exchange Bank. (J. C. Bird died in 1902.) The Bank officers in 1902 were A. K. Edgar, President, doctor C.J. Sutherland, Vice President and Ralph E. Jossman, cashier. The Bank's capital was $20,000 with deposits of $130,000. It was "known as one of the solid, substantial banking concerns of Oakland County." The bank in "1912 erected a handsome stone building, furnished in modern style, with all equipments for the comfort, convenience and safety of its depositors." According to oral history Ralph "Duck" Jossman, Esidor's son, embezzled money from the bank causing its failure. Local businessmen banded together to form the new Clarkston St. Bank,15 S. Main, Chartered in 1913. See circa 1910 photo, Heritage, pg.54. In 1932 the bank was robbed. (C. News 7/22/32 ). Ray Ainsley & David Teggerdine, bank officers at the time, were involved in the attempted arrest of the suspect who committed suicide. (C. News 11/4/32). The bank was again reorganized in 1933. The Clarkston Bank was purchased in 1965 by the Pontiac State Bank which was later purchased by the National Bank of Detroit. N.B.D. closed this branch in 1997. The building stood vacant and for sale until local businessmen organized the Clarkston State Bank. The native stone building and the addition to the south which was built 1928/29 stand much as they did originally. The yellow brick addition to the west was constructed in 1924.