Connellsville, A River Runs Through It

Connellsville, A River Runs Through It. Founding of Connellsville, City Hall, United States Post Office, and Trolley History. , Founding of Connellsville and City Hall , Zachariah Connell secured a charter for a town on March 21, 1793. He saw this as a natural stopping place for immigrants and travelers to build rafts and float down the river. He named our town Connellsville. People who lived in town were given permission to use the stone quarries, coal bank, timber and springs. He donated land for public buildings, churches, schools, and a graveyard. In 1806, Connellsville was chartered as a borough. Many flatboats were built in Connellsville and transported our coal, iron ore, and iron products to markets farther west. , Prior to the current City Hall on Arch Street, city government was housed in a distinctive building of Dutch inspired architecture built in 1901-1902. It was built for the sum of $15,149 being two stories high with a furnished basement and attic. The building was constructed on land donated by the city founder, Zachariah Connell for public use. The current City Hall was constructed in 1976 next to the site of the original building. City Plaza is located where the original building stood. , United States Post Office , The United States Post Office, located on Arch Street, was built in 1904. This handsome structure, which at one time housed civic groups on the upper floor, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. The efforts to attain this status were spearheaded by former Postmaster, C. J. Franklin Ellis. , Trolley History , The first streetcar company in Connellsville was the Connellsville, New Haven and Leisenring Street Railway Company chartered May 9, 1891. The second company chartered in Connellsville was the Connellsville Suburban Street Railway Company chartered by citizens of Connellsville, Lancaster and Pittsburgh on September 15, 1896. The stock in the company was purchased by the West Penn Railway and Lighting Syndicate on September 24, 1902. West Penn Railways ultimately controlled around 340 miles of track. West Penn trolleys disappeared from the scene in 1950 to be replaced by West Penn buses., [photo captions] , . City Hall , . City Hall and Post Office , . New Post Office , . West Main Street, West Side , . Main Street looking East