Conicville

Text

The village now known as Conicville appears in the historic record in the 1850s. At the time, descendants of Jacob Rinker, an early settler, were the primary residents. Early accounts indicate that Jacob’s daughter, a “Mrs. Hickle,” was a large land and slave owner at the time the village was first referenced.

Originally the community was known as Cabin Hill. It was renamed Conicville in 1892 when the post office arrived and needed to create a name different its already operating Cabin Hill post office.

By 1864 the village had developed its distinctive cross axis linear layout formed by Conicville and Senedo Roads. That same year oral history records note there were three houses in the community. By 1885 that had increased to 10. In 1871 the first store, founded by Conrad Long a Pennsylvania, opened. During the latter part of the 19th century two general stores, a bowling alley, blacksmith shop, foundry, wagon shop, doctor’s office, school, and law office operated here. Two churches, United Brethren and Reformed, opened around the same time.

By the 1920s, the community’s primary business was death. Three members of the Dellinger family operated separate undertaker and casket making shops in the community. One of these, Pete Dellinger, would go on to found Dellinger Funeral Homes in Mt. Jackson and Woodstock.

Conicville began to decline after World War Two as a more mobile community moved to larger towns and cities. Overtime all local businesses but the Conicville Store closed. Today, the only remaining community organization is the Conicville Fire Department which was founded in 1967.