After the Civil War, newly emancipated African-Americans bearing the family names Ashton, Allen, Newman, Harris, Peters, and Dean lived in the area later named Conklin, a short distance from the current location of the Settle-Dean cabin. The village took its name from John R. and Mary Conklin, who bought 100 acres from Horace Adee in 1871. Originally from Pennsylvania, the Conklins tried to farm the land and filed a Homestead Claim on June 27, 1874, allowing them to live there for 10 years protected from seizure by creditors for debts they might have owed. In 1890, they opened a store that became the village's first post office. In 1872, the Conklin School was built for "colored children," and the one-room building remained in use until 1948. Prosperity Baptist Church was built in 1899 on land donated by Charles Dean and burned in 1951. The congregation met in the basement of the new church while its sanctuary was being built, and the larger church was completed in 1972 and still stands.