A man named John Conner who made his living by trading with the Indians decided to move his trading post to a place where the Indians had a right to come. Conner followed the trails the Indians had made when they were going through this part of the country to get to their hunting grounds. This trail led him to the west fork of the Whitewater Valley River. When John Conner made his camp near the banks of the Whitewater River, he was the first white man to settle in what is now the city of Connersville. This was around the year 1808. Conner planned or laid out the town of Connersville in 1813.

Beginning of Fayette County: A law was passed in 1818 which set up the boundary lines for a new county in Indiana. This county was named Fayette County. Connersville was chosen as the county seat. The first court house was started in 1819 and finished in 1822. It was 400 square feet and 2 stories high. It cost $1,262. It was on the same ground as our present court house which was built in 1890, except for the 2 rooms that have been added on the west side, and for the fact that some of the trimming has been taken off, it is the same court house.

The White Water Canal: Fairy tales begin, "Once upon a time --". But this is a true story. Once upon a time some people came all the way from Europe to Connersville by boat. 

To understand how this could be true we need to know that there was once a water canal, through Connersville, that boats traveled on.

The Whitewater Canal was started in 1836 and helped Connersville prosper because it provided a way of shipping products quickly. Soon, Connersville became an important and vital stop along the Whitewater Canal. Mules or horses walked along the bank of the canal on a path that was called the towpath. They pulled, or towed, the boats along with ropes fastened to the boats. Some of the products carried on canal boats were: flour, eggs, apples, bacon, cracklings, lard, and hog bristles.

Eventually railroads began spreading across these parts of the country. In 1863 a railroad company bought the canal company, and tracks were laid along the towpath.

The Growth Begins: Connersville grew to be very large. Since our state capital at Indianapolis was not as old as Connersville, the jail here was used by the sheriff at Indianapolis until their jail was built. Couples wanting to get married had to come to get their marriage licenses at our court house because they did not have a court house in Indianapolis.

Connersville became known as a "furniture and buggy town" because there were several factories making these products. As the automobile or horseless carriage appeared on the scene, the buggy and wagon were pushed aside. Several different lines of automobiles were made here, such as: the Lexington, the McFarlan, the Cord, the Auburn, and the Empire. The McFarland Carriage Company of Connersville manufactured the first medium priced 6-cylinder automobile in the United States. This was in 1909. Due to the success of the Lexington, many factories in Connersville converted to making parts for automobiles. In fact, nearly all the parts needed to make an automobile were made right here in Connersville. That distinction earned the town the title of "Little Detroit".

Connersville grew because of its wide awake men and women. A sample of this is the first free fair in the state which was held in Connersville in September, 1852. Also, Connersville is the home of the first high school band and the first industrial park in the nation.