Editing Connellsville, Pennsylvania (section)

== History ==
During the [[French and Indian War]], a British army commanded by General [[Edward Braddock]] approached [[Fort Duquesne]] and crossed the Youghiogheny River at Stewart's Crossing, which is situated in the middle of what is now the city of Connellsville.

Connellsville was officially founded as a [[township (Pennsylvania)|township]] in 1793 then as a [[borough (Pennsylvania)|borough]] on March 1, 1806, by [[Zachariah Connell]], a militia captain during the American Revolution. In February 1909, balloting in New Haven and Connellsville resulted in these two boroughs joining and becoming the first city in Fayette County on May 12, 1911.

Due to the city's location in the center of the [[Connellsville Coalfield]], coal mining, [[coke (fuel)|coke]] production, and other accompanying industries became the major sources of employment and revenue during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Connellsville became known as the "Coke Capital of the World" due to the amount and quality of coke produced in the area's many beehive ovens.

In August of 2016, the city was hit with a major rainstorm that flooded the local community known as Dutch Bottom, along with several other areas. The city received help from neighboring communities and FEMA. The city recovered after nearly 2 years, and most of the affected area in Dutch Bottom is no longer habitable due to terms of agreements with FEMA and others to buy out the affected area.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-08-29 |title=Fayette County hit hard by flooding; Connellsville declares state of emergency |url=https://www.wpxi.com/news/fayette-county-hit-hard-by-flooding-connellsville-declares-state-of-emergency/431229196/ |access-date=2023-09-18 |website=WPXI |language=en}}</ref>

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File:Carnegie Free Library Connellsville Pennsylvania.jpg|Carnegie Free Library (1903)<br>National Register of Historic Places
File:Post Office Connellsville Pennsylvania.jpg|US Post Office (1913)<br>National Register of Historic Places
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