The area around Springfield was first settled by hunters, trappers, and cattlemen traveling along the Native American trails that connected remote parts of the state and accommodated trade contact. Elijah Iles established the first store in what would eventually become Springfield next to the county courthouse. He operated for two years without competition and carried a line of perishable and non-perishable goods.  Springfield was incorporated as a town in 1832 and was mainly focused around government and the retail trade. Its growth was slow until it was named Illinois’ capitol in 1839.

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Several of the early merchants who helped to develop the area included John Williams, George Pasfield, and Jacob Bunn. Williams, a clerk who worked for Elijah Iles, bought the Iles store in 1830. By 1833 the store had outgrown the original building and was moved to a brick building on the Square. George Pasfield moved his family to Springfield after a visit to his brother-in-law and purchased land on the north side of Washington Street becoming another of the early merchants on the Square. He sold groceries and general merchandise. Jacob Bunn established a grocery store in 1839  that his family would ultimately develop into the Bunn-O-Matic Corporation, a beverage equipment manufacturer in operation today.

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