Conn Store Building

Constructed in 1858, this historic structure belonged to Malcolm Conn, an early settler in the Council Grove area who was a prominent businessman and rival to town founder Seth Hays. Conn's business boomed, a reflection of Council Grove's status as the last city on the Santa Fe Trail before the final two-month stretch to New Mexico. The Sana Fe Trail operated until the completion of the Atchison, Topeka, and Sant Fe Railroad in 1880. During those years, Conn Mercantile offered a variety of goods as well as lodging and food for those passing through town. After Conn retired, the store had a short stint as the center of operations for Kansas merchants Shamleffer & James. Today the historic storefront is home to a local branch of Butler Community College and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009, along with many other structures in the city's historic downtown.

Malcolm Conn was one of the earliest settlers in the area that later became Council Grove. Along with the Choteau brothers and town founder Seth Hays, he established himself as one of the town's first established merchants, even when Council Grove was still a trading post and had not yet been incorporated as its own town. Earlier, he likely sold goods out of a more temporary wooden structure, but as the town became known for being the last point travelers could resupply before traveling the remainder of the Santa Fe Trail, Conn saw the need to expand into a more permanent location. The stone structure known as the historic Conn Store Building was built in 1858, marking Conn's elevation from just another seller to a rival merchant to Hays, who ran a similar business across the street.

Business apparently quickly boomed for sellers all across town, with Conn selling $24,000 in merchandise in just one month in 1864 by trading with freighters, government workers, Kaw Indians from the neighboring reservation, and citizens of Council Grove itself. In addition to selling general goods, Conn, like his rival, also provided rooms, meals, and stables for travelers passing through the city. Meanwhile, he also became involved in civic life, eventually serving as treasurer of the Town Company, which plotted and sold town lots, as well as the county clerk. In 1866, he sold the store to Shamleffer & James. They renamed the store and took a well-known historic photo of the building sometime during the 1860s but quickly left again to run a similar outlet in Augusta, Kansas. It has housed various owners and businesses ever since.

Today, the Conn Store is one of the oldest standing buildings in Council Grove. It currently houses a small local branch of Butler Community College. As one of the most important trading stores in the area during Council Grove's Santa Fe Trail era, as well as a part of the city's historic downtown, it was included in a group entry in the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.

Conn Stone Store, Kaw Mission. Accessed March 1st, 2024. https://www.kawmission.org/places/kawmission/reconnectionshistoriccouncilgrove08.htm.

Fischer, William Jr. . Conn Store, Historical Marker Database. July 26th, 2011. Accessed March 1st, 2024. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=45088.

Conn Store, Council Grove, National Park Service. Accessed March 1st, 2024. https://www.nps.gov/places/conn-store-council-grove.htm.

Malcolm Conn, Find a Grave. Accessed March 2nd, 2024. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/97285834/malcolm-conn.