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heConnersville UtilizesIts Historic HeritageTrail, now known as Eastern on August 27, 1775, and who Lawrence Seaway system areAvenue in Connersville.After the War, Conner mar-had so much to do with theshipping arteries.House and return it to its status under Alice Gray’s ownership. After research she had de-Hoosier frontier. Connersville I So sure was the Whitewaterried on March 13, 1813, a white j grew steadily. It was not the j Valley Canal Company of its I cided that the four judge Doricwife, Lavina Winship. She was! important gateway to the new ultimate destiny that it built columns across the front of the-as well as the other13 years his junior, but pioneer lands of central Indiana thatcouples couldn’t be too chooseyin the sparcely populated country.Convinced of the future of theBrookville became. The lattertown was on me Cincinnati Inin 1842 a handsome Canal House houseon East 4th Street just off Cen- lumber—were made from tu ip tral in the original part of Con- lumber produced at the on-dianapoli's turnpike (the Brook-; nersville laid out in 1813. The ginal water-powered mill w icville Road) and had on it high Doric structure, just 200 yards was built by John Connerarea, Conner proceeded to plat Main Street the principal In- from the Canal, is one of the 1808 as a part of hisi agreementhe town of Connersville and diana land office of the federal outstanding Greek Revival for the original land purebuilt a larger brick structure-three blocks south of his earliercabinbothgovernment. But when Conners- buildings in Indiana.ville was incorporated as a city on February 15, 1841, it hadSamuel W. Parker, president- which he operated asa trading post and a 596 citizens. Fayette’s popula-general store. From 1821 to ^on was 9,387.1824 the structure was known From 1825 to 1840 the Gov-of the Canal Company, took over Canal House as a residence.In 1850 he was elected to theUnited States House of Repre-Historic Connersville in 1963obtained from the city a 99-yearlease on First Ward Hose Housewhich was built in 1870 as ( on-nersville’s first fire-fighting unit. The small brick building onas Sample’s Inn. Then it housed ernors of Indiana were Brook- sentatives to succeed George W. West 7th Street has been cart -the Connersville post office. In ville men. They led the cam- Julian, the militant abolitionist fully restored. A door, was1854 the Heineman family en- paign for extensive internal im- who had won the “Old Burnt made from old poplar found atlarged it into a grocery store, provements that would help new District’’ in 1848 as a Free Soil Laurel, which is down-canal inIt still stands at 5th and East- settlers move inland more eas-1 candidate. In 1852 Parker w'as Franklin County.CONNERSVILLE STRUCTURECanal House, built atern, where- State Highwaysand 44 converge.ily and enable farmers to ship the only Indiana Whig Congress-out their produce to the river man re-elected.Connersville in 1842, is one of Indiana’s most distinguishedIn 1820 John Conner was one ports of Cincinnati-Madi'son andConnersville is near Whitewater State Park and the big new’on thearchitectural gems.of 10 commissioners sent into the Falls Cities.The Whig Party disbanded Brookville Reservoir thereafter and the newr Republi- East Fork of Whitewater, whichwill be made into another ofConnersville is cannily utiliz- “The Gore.”ing its historic heritage. Thereby it is bringing increased tourist interest—and particularlyHoosier interestyette County.the wilds of central Indiana to The Whitewater Canal was the can Party took over as the op-locate a site for a new state foremost of these internal im- position id Indiana. Parker sold the public recreation areas op-capital. He led the party to the provements, which also included Canal House to the Savings Bank crated by the Indiana Depart-l ayette was in that area, home of his brother William, a Central Canal and an Erie- of Indiana in 1854. ITiree years ment of Natural Resources. Thewhich ran from the Ohio River It might have been chosen the Wabash canal, as well as turn- later it was bought by Elisha community is not content to benear Vevay in a northeasterly newr capital but William Conner pikes and railways. The gran- Vance, a Connersville attorney, a thriving industrial center —had only Indian title to the diose program bankrupted the i Dr. S. W. Vance, the son, com- w’hich began to attain post-canalfor all of I- a- direction to present-day Randol-It is pointed out by the In-ph County.“The Gore”was property. So Indianapolis, 20 state in 1843, and the White-1 pleted conversiondiana Department of NationalResources that this is one wayto insure a steady influx of economic strength to an area. TheDepartment operates 11 StateMemorials and the State Museum. Howrever, it stresses that local effort is essential in ordertransferred to jurisdiction of the miles south, was duly designat- i water Canal (like the other ven-new Indiana Territory after 18- ed. 00, when 27-year-old Williamtures) was turned over to pri-In 1823 John Conner sold his vate management.Henry Harrison (later 9th Pres- Connersville home and bought; The canal was completed toa large tract called Horeshoe Connersville in 1845 and thenbetweenident of the United States) wasappointed Territorial Governorby President John Adams.Noblesville extended northward to Cam-Indian terrorism slowed downPrairie,and brother William’s trading bridge City and Hagerstown, complex. At the same time Wil- Thus the entire Whitewater val-of Canal importance in 1886 when John House into a handsome resid- B. McFarlan pioneered an in-ence.dustrial park.Individualistic Finly Gray, a Connersville automobile fac-picturesque Fayette County na- tories began producing the Mc-tive, was Mayor of Connersville Farlan (1909-1928) the Lexing-settlement of “The Gore” and liam’s Indian princess decided ley had a water route to Law-to preserve and operate the a]j 0f jn(jiana Territory until thescores of worthy memorial pro- j United Sta(es won the War ofjects throughout the state.to go with her people as they renceburg and also to Cincin-were deported at a new Dela- nati.from 1904 to 1906, and again ton (1910-1927), the Van-Auken from 1910 to 1911. He then rep- Electric (1914), some units ofresented the area in the United the Empire in 1914 (the Indian-States House of Representatives apolis Empire plant operated1812. But John Conner had ware reservation in the West.Occupying both scenic banks come to Cedar Grove, on the William then married an 18-of the West Fork of Whitewat- main Whitewater River below year-old white neighbor, Eliza-er River, Fayette County was present-day Brookville, in 1803. beth Chapman, and builtfrom 1911 to 1917—-during the from 1898 to 1919). the Howard regime of President Woodrow (1914) and the Ansted (1927).corrupt finan- Wilson and Vice-President Tho- The Cord was produced at themas R. Marshall—and was re- 82-acre Lexington plant in Con-Inefficient orcial agents, poor engineering, floods and insufficient cost es- elected in 1933. He served until nersville from 1927 to 1939, astimates were blamed for the 1939.created from old Franklin and There he opened a trading post, a handsome brick mansion for internal improvements failure. Mrs. Gray, an ardent conser-her which she occupied for the Most Hoosiers continued to be- vationistwell as at Auburn.Wayne Counties on December run m conjunction with an-14, 1818. Six days later frontier other trading post established next 18 years, merchant John Conner, who had by his brother William south of been Franklin County’s first present-day Noblesville on the member of the Indiana Senate. East Fork of White River, was elected the first sheriff ofConnersville industries todayandtraditionalist,are more diversified. The pros-lieve that the canals in parti- bought Canal House from the porous community intends toThe William Conner house and cular would bring them the Vance family in 1936 and re- emphasize its cultural and his-restored appendages are now same economic miracles that stored it to the 1840 era. She torical background as it entersoperated as a pioneer museum the Erie Canal had produced correctly regarded it as an au- its 161st year.Fayette County.The Conner brothers were by Earlham College.in New York. Actually, the de- thentic version of a Greek tem-the children of Moravian mis-that of Congressman Gray inIn 1824 John Conner was elect- velopment of railways—particu-1 pie. After her death in 1943 andOn February 17, 1819, the si0nary who had been captured ed to the Indiana House of Rep- larly after the Civil WTar—subtown which Conner had found- by the Indians and become so resentatives from Marion, Ham- ordinated canal usefulness,ed with courage and foresight f]uent in the Shawnee, Chip- ilton, Johnson and Madison1947, it was bequeathed to thebecame Favctte’s countv seat.Indiana Audubon Society, alongpewa, Delaware It has remained so ever since. dotte lamma^esIn numerous other Indiana Coun- versant with Indian waysToday the old WTiitewater Ca-and Wyan- Counties. He then decided to nal route is served by modem! with a mile-square tract 6 milesand so con- move again, to the young vil- highways. The railway which southwest of Connersville nowlage of Indianapolis. He died replaced the mules on the can- operated as the Mary Gray BirdSanctuary. Unable to continueP. N. HIRSCllSHOPOpen All Dayties, the seat has been shifted that they could pose as indians there ip 1826 xhc first import_ al towpath has now become a as population patterns varied themselves.or to obtain a more central location.ant public funeral ever held in branch line, with only occasion- both projects, the Audobon So-Both married squaws. Wil- Indianapolis honored the man al freight trains. Yet water ciety sold Canal House to the liam s wife was the daughter who had been born to Richard transportation—where volume Veterans of Foreign Wars.In 1783 England conceded to 0f ^e Delaware Chief W’illiam and Margaret Conner at the operations are feasible—is mak-the Americans, the \ ast aiea Anderson. When they left their Moravian mission village of ing a big comeback. The Ohionorth of the Ohio and east of borne near Detroit, where their Schoenbrunn, in eastern Ohio, River and the Great Lakes-St.. 1 « r •( • • • 'w ^ j % r j 1WEDNESDAYDAILY 9 A.M. TO 5 P.M.A nonprofit civic organizationP. N. Hirsch Go.the Mississippi. In 1lt;84 North- famijy bad been taken as pri-west Territory was created. The soners bv pro-English Indians to Indians relinquished their claim disrupt Moravian missionary ef-at Greenville in llt;95, to all of for^s jn eastern Ohio, the present-day Ohio and a strip brothers intended to become fur—Historic Connersville. Inc.— has an option to buy Canal305 N.51ainof southeastern Indiana called traders as well as missionaries.However, John Conner made aSaturday with Mr. and Mrs. Bob trip to Washington, D. C., in Blessinser at Greenfield. :. . 1802 and then agreed to act asMrs. George Jackson visited a scout interpreter and fron-Wednesday with Mrs.tier spy for Harrison.Blankenship and family.Mr. and Mrs. George Jack- John Conner was with Har-son visited last Sunday with_Mr. rison at the Battle of Tippe-and Mrs. Ed Jackson at Newcanoe in 1811. Meanwhile Wil-Castle and Mrs. John Jackson . .and family at Dunrcith. ham remained in HamiltonMrs. Roy Robertson of Car- County, persuading Chief Ander-thage and Vera Nelson of Charlottesville visited last Friday with Mrs. Millie Alexander at the Henry County Hospital at New Castle.Mrs. Roy Robertson, Mrs. Paul Livingstone and family vison’s Indians to remain pro-American.By 1808 the Indians were withdrawing northward, so John Conner left his Cedar Grovesite and moved on up the river.sited Wednesday with Mr and He built a second log cabinMrs. Bill Robertson and fam- . ,. „ .■ trading post on the Whitewaterhoily at Greenfield.Mrs. Bob Lynch and family ; visited last wreek end with friends and relatives in Kentucky.WAKE UP YOURJuneNow there are1968**5USTR IlfDrive-In Restaurantin Central Indianaservebetter.To Be Given Awav!
Newspaper Details
Rushville Evening Daily Republican
Rushville, Indiana, US
Tue, Jun 11, 1968
Page 6
Full Page
Clipped by
Monroe C.
IN, USA 29 Jan 2021
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