Fairfield Area Historical Society

Our latest newsletter and schedule of upcoming events. Thank you for your support of the Fairfield Area Historical Society!

Memorial Day has been celebrated on the final Monday in May since the year 1970. Prior to that, from 1868-1970, it was referred to as Decoration Day and was celebrated annually on May 30th. This is a picture of a Fairfield Decoration Day Parade from the 1920s. In the background is the Fairfield Methodist Church that would later be owned by the Fairfield School System for a few years before becoming part of the shoe factory complex in 1942. That factory burnt down in August of 1953 and was never rebuilt. In the foreground is a not-yet-paved McGinley Dr/Tract Rd. (origin of photo unknown).

Fairfield High School has a rich history of staging dramatic productions, instrumental and choral concerts, and other Arts offerings, dating back through close to a century of the school's history. This photo came from a time in the 1930s when multiple plays were presented by various groups throughout the school year. The junior and senior class had their own class plays, the athletic department presented a yearly "athletic play", the faculty and alumni offered an on-stage presentation, and in the case of this production, "Family Album", even the townspeople of Fairfield and the surrounding areas got involved too. This play was presented on stage in 1938. No names were included with this cast picture, but perhaps you recognize some of them. (photo courtesy of the Bob Fitez family).

In light of the suggested social distancing to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, The Fairfield Area Historical Society will unfortunately be cancelling its April 16th visit by the VICTORIAN HISTORIAN. We regret any inconvenience this may cause and will let you know if the event is rescheduled in the future.

In an era before automobiles and electricity, this is Main Street in Fairfield in 1910 or slightly before. This is the east end of town looking west. Centennial St is to your left and what is now THE CORNER BRICK is shown to the right.

Our first event of the 2020 season is coming soon. Hope you can join us!

Hoops memories from years gone by. A couple snapshots from the 1945-1946 Fairfield boys team (photos courtesy of the family of Bill/Grace Newman).

A central part of every small American town and community is the U.S. Post Office. Since the late 1790s, Fairfield borough has had four different buildings serve as the post office. This album contains photos and other ephemera regarding our long postal history and the four buildings that have served as the post office. Since this information was collected over decades, some of it was current at the time, but now is dated. There are, for instance, two partial lists of ind...Continue reading

A few photos of the Society's inaugural "Community Attic" event. Many family collections and memories were shared. These are just a few of them. Thanks to all who shared in the event and made it the success that it was.

REMINDER THAT TONIGHT IS THE NIGHT! The Fairfield Historical Society is hosting Fairfield's Community Attic on Thursday, October 17 at 7:00 p.m. in the Village Hall located at 108 West Main Street in Fairfield. Many documents and other treasures from the early 1800's and forward will be on display, including deeds, letters, photos, and organizational documents. These items come from the Historical Society's archives. Join us and learn about Fairfield's past. Please feel free to bring items for show or donation or anything you wish to display. Light refreshments will be served. See attached for additional details. Thank you!

A large part of our local agricultural identity over the last century and a quarter, has been defined by the apple/fruit industry. From mid-summer till late fall, trucks can be seen on area roads hauling bulk bins filled with apples in an annual reminder of the arrival of another harvest. Sitting at the southern end of the Apple Belt in a county that has been a leader in fruit production across the nation year after year, C. H. Musselman encouraged many farmers in the early ...1900s to plant commercial fruit orchards and many took his advice to heart and did just that. Over the years, growers have evolved from using round and square bushel crates/baskets with painted orchard monograms, to 22 bu. And later 25 bu. wooden bulk bins, before finally beginning to make the move towards the current plastic bulk bins. It’s no surprise we have annual events like Pippinfest, the Apple Blossom Festival, the National Apple Harvest Festival, or that we have a nearby National Apple Museum, or that local municipalities name their farms, streets, bed-and-breakfasts, athletic fields, and college buildings after Musselman or after the apples that have been their lifeblood for so long. In 1913, before there was even electricity in all of the area towns, the Orrtanna Canning Factory was built at the north-eastern tip of Hamiltonban Township, to handle the fast-growing area apple business. The original factory buildings burnt down in 1942, but after a rebuilding a more modern facility, it was acquired by Knouse Foods Cooperative in 1949. By the 1980s, Knouse Foods had branched out to plants in two other states as they continued to flourish. Currently, the Orrtanna plant employs about 300 people and the plant mainly packs apple sauce, apple juice, bulk aseptic, and other juice products. This album includes some vintage photos of the Orrtanna Cannery through various years and also some of the information published about it during that time. Though the writings are dated and do not apply to the factory specifically today, much of the heritage of our appleness and the history of the Cannery remain the same(photos courtesy of Kevin Bream and the family of Bill & Grace Newman) . See more

This framed print, entitled "Stonewall Jackson and Family" was donated to the Fairfield Area Historical Society for fundraising purposes. We are selling raffle tickets for $1/ticket. Many of you came to our table at Pippinfest and bought yours already. Tickets are still available from either Dean Thomas in person, or you can purchase them the evening of Oct 17th at the FAIRFIELD ATTIC event at Village Hall. The winner will be drawn that evening.