James Bennett - Premier Entrepeneur

James Bennett - Premier Entrepeneur. . Bennett came to Emlenton in 1868 to hire out as a tinner to the Widel and Crawford Foundry at $1.25 a day. He stayed on to become one of the town's most prosperous and respected citizens. For half a century hea was the impetus and/or promoter of most of the business and civic enterprises in the Emlenton area. . . By 1895 his general hardware business (part of which was the manufactuer of tin, copper, and sheet iron ware) was doing an annual business of over $100,000. His varied business interests included the Emlenton Flouring Mill and the Emlenton-Shippenville Railroad. He served as the first president of the Emlenton Gas Light and Fuel Co. and organized both local banks - the First National Bank and Farmers National Bank. One of his community efforts was the raising of funds to build the large three-story brick school which was completed in 1874. . . Following Bennett's retirement from active business in 1896, the two buildings he built in this block were occupied by various enterprises. Banking in Emlenton had so grown in importance that the First National dominated the corner. The Barnard Co. dry goods store shared the first floor, while a variety of offices were located on the second floor, in addition to the Emlenton Opera House. . . In 1912, D.M. Long purchased the Bennett Hardware. Long's business (which included hardware, farm equipment, furniture, and automobile interests) flourished here until a fire leveled the structure in 1946.