A Summary of Connersville 1808-1860

 

          In the first half century of its existence Connersville grew from a log trading post to a flourishing town of 2,119 with another 8,000 people in the county.

 

          Growth had been slow but steady, with the canal responsible for a rapid increase in population and industry.

 

          There were 13 turnpikes in operation in the county by 1856, and two newspapers were published. A large number of churches were thriving, and the city purchased 14 acres on the north side of town for a “town cemetery.” John J. McFarlan arrived in 1856 and established the McFarlan Buggy Company and the Roots Brothers began the manufacture of rotary positive blowers in 1859.

 

          The Bank of Connersville, first set up in the back of Frybarger’s store on the southwest corner of Fifth and Central, erected a new, three-story brick building on Central, between Fourth and Fifth. The Fayette Bank opened for business in 1853 on the southeast corner of Fourth and Central; James Mount and William Merrill established the Farmers Bank in 1857.

 

          The town and county built two new public buildings in the late forties. In 1849 the second courthouse was constructed and the same year the community built a “town hall” on the public square behind the courthouse. The town of Connersville purchased the old seminary building from the county, razed it, and in 1858 opened a new, modern school facility on the site.

 

          With all the changes taking place, the pioneer period was rapidly drawing to a close. The coming of the railroads in the 1860’s would bring that era to an end.

 

          The fifties had been a momentous decade nationally and the consequences of these events certainly filtered down to Connersville and Fayette County Adherents of the Democrat and Whig Parties carried on spirited campaigns, and the newly organized Republican Party was growing rapidly. The slavery question was a growing cloud on the horizon and the citizens of the town were divided over the course of action to be taken. Certainly the next decade would be a critical one for the community as well as the nation. A storm was brewing.