diff --git a/http.c b/http.c
index d07730d7..b94fed8c 100644
--- a/http.c
+++ b/http.c
@@ -2330,6 +2330,8 @@ evhttp_connection_get_peer(struct evhttp_connection *evcon,
 int
 evhttp_connection_connect_(struct evhttp_connection *evcon)
 {
+	int old_state = evcon->state;
+
 	if (evcon->state == EVCON_CONNECTING)
 		return (0);
 
@@ -2367,8 +2369,11 @@ evhttp_connection_connect_(struct evhttp_connection *evcon)
 	/* make sure that we get a write callback */
 	bufferevent_enable(evcon->bufev, EV_WRITE);
 
+	evcon->state = EVCON_CONNECTING;
+
 	if (bufferevent_socket_connect_hostname(evcon->bufev, evcon->dns_base,
 		AF_UNSPEC, evcon->address, evcon->port) < 0) {
+		evcon->state = old_state;
 		event_sock_warn(evcon->fd, "%s: connection to \"%s\" failed",
 		    __func__, evcon->address);
 		/* some operating systems return ECONNREFUSED immediately
@@ -2379,8 +2384,6 @@ evhttp_connection_connect_(struct evhttp_connection *evcon)
 		return (0);
 	}
 
-	evcon->state = EVCON_CONNECTING;
-
 	return (0);
 }
 
diff --git a/test/regress_http.c b/test/regress_http.c
index 31412a20..3ed314a0 100644
--- a/test/regress_http.c
+++ b/test/regress_http.c
@@ -3034,16 +3034,21 @@ http_stream_in_cancel_test(void *arg)
 static void
 http_connection_fail_done(struct evhttp_request *req, void *arg)
 {
+       struct evhttp_connection *evcon = arg;
+       struct event_base *base = evhttp_connection_get_base(evcon);
+
        /* An ENETUNREACH error results in an unrecoverable
         * evhttp_connection error (see evhttp_connection_fail_()).  The
         * connection will be reset, and the user will be notified with a NULL
         * req parameter. */
        tt_assert(!req);
 
+       evhttp_connection_free(evcon);
+
        test_ok = 1;
 
  end:
-       event_base_loopexit(arg, NULL);
+       event_base_loopexit(base, NULL);
 }
 
 /* Test unrecoverable evhttp_connection errors by generating an ENETUNREACH
@@ -3074,7 +3079,7 @@ http_connection_fail_test(void *arg)
         * server using our make request method.
         */
 
-       req = evhttp_request_new(http_connection_fail_done, data->base);
+       req = evhttp_request_new(http_connection_fail_done, evcon);
        tt_assert(req);
 
        if (evhttp_make_request(evcon, req, EVHTTP_REQ_GET, "/") == -1) {
@@ -3086,8 +3091,7 @@ http_connection_fail_test(void *arg)
        tt_int_op(test_ok, ==, 1);
 
  end:
-       if (evcon)
-               evhttp_connection_free(evcon);
+        ;
 }
 
 static void