Carrington City, laid out by William Carrington on June 5, 1872, was for many years a thriving village and community with a raiload, several grocery and dry goods stores, a blacksmith shop, a drug store, a millinery store, a barber shop, a telephone service, a church, and a school. Early grocery merchants, such as William Bowen, J. T. Woods and M. E. Gilbert developed prosperous businesses there but later retired to their farms. In 1891, Thomas W. Kemp of Pitcher, near Hams Prairie, purchased the grocery store there and moved his family to Carrington. He further developed his business by sending his two sons, Joe and Omer, in their huckster wagons into the community as far west as Cedar Creek, buying dairy and poultry products. After many years, about 1910, he sold his business to O. Duley Scott and his daughter Mrs. Lula Nevins, who was also the postmistress at the store. Roy Anthony and Omer Kemp were also partners in the store for a few years.

For many years, the Carrington Baptist church and the Carrington Store were focal points in the community. On Saturday nights neighbors came to the store to trade and remained to visit. Children had fun playing in the large warehouse, a part of the store. Improved roads and transportation caused a decline in business. Later owners of the store were Fred Anthony, Melvin Trammell, Herman Bohning, and the Brattons. In October, 1968, the store burned and was not rebuilt.

The Callaway Coal Company was the main industry in Round Prairie Township moving the coal over the Chicago and Alton Railroad. It provided work for many people. Mr. Norris was the general manager of the company, S. Frank Smith, the engineer, and Earl Sampson, the shovel operator.The mine later became a non-profit industry and was closed in the 1920's. As a result, the population and family incomes diminished, causing many families to leave the community. Now, part of the coal pits with its water and evergreen trees are used for recreational purposes.

Carrington has always been an agricultural community and was well known during World War I and in the 1920's for its livestock production of horses and mules, cattle, and some sheep. It was not unusual for a farmer to send three or more carloads of cattle to market by rail. Stock pens built north of the railroad almost always contained livestock ready to be marketed. Best known of the livestock farmers at that time were O. Duley Scott, O. M. Wilkerson, J. Scott McGhee, and Elgin Forsee. Other well known livestock and grain farmers then were Carl Divers and sons Percy and Ray, Carson Humphreys, Cecil Howison, Joe Griffin, A. D. Brooks, John McCarty, Luther Herring, Hugh Morris, and Vernon Forsee. The depression years caused losses and many changes in farming. Now, farming is mostly grain farming with much of the land under government management or in pastures with grazing livestock. Some present day Carrington farmers are Ralph Howison, John Wallace, E.G. Patrick, Morris Conner, Bill Conner, David Callahan, John Guerrant and Ollie and Roy Shaon.

In the early 1900's a telephone exchange system was built with Mrs. Moses Ashworth serving as telephone operator. After her death, the exchange was run for many years by Mrs. Will Sampson and later by Mrs. Orchard until it was modernized and became a part of the Fulton system.
 

The tornado of May 8, 1927, caused the destruction of most of Carrington, very little of which was rebuilt. The church and store were completely demolished. The El-burn Thomas and Will Herring farm homes and buildings were destroyed. All homes in the area suffered some damage. The Carrington Baptist Church was rebuilt, one half of the store was rebuilt, some homes were repaired while others were torn down not to be rebuilt. In 1932, the Chicago and Alton Railroad ceased to function, the rails were taken up, and the stock pens were torn down. The shut-down of the railroad made a great impact on the community.
 

The depression years, the tornado of 1927, and the loss of the railroad caused many changes in the community. Where once there was prosperity and profitable businesses in the village with its croquet courts, tennis courts and ice cream festivals, there is now a large expanse of green grass, a few homes, and a church. Carrington presently has a population of approximately thirty people. However, it is encouraging to see new farm homes being built with electricity, water and good roads. The village and community are beginning to prosper again.<> 

It is interesting to note that there is a continuous line of descent in the village from the earliest founder, William Carrington, to the present, as Roy Lynn Carrington, affectionately called the "Mayor of Carrington", lives on his ancestral homeplace.