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Fairbanks, IndianaPhoto: Chris Flook · CC BY-SA 4.0
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History · Fairbanks

Fairbanks dates to 1840

Below: maps from 1942 on.

1840founded
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Chris Flook · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Fairbanks began

When was Fairbanks founded?

1840

Fairbanks dates its founding to 1840 (Wikipedia’s history). Its post office opened in 1842.

186 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1842.The full story ↓

What stands out about Fairbanks’ past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Fairbanks are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Deep rootsEstablished in 1840: 186 years of Fairbanks.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Fairbanks’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Fairbanks’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How Fairbanks came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Fairbanks.

Read it all →

Fairbanks was named after Sgt. Nathan Fairbanks, who was killed in September 1812 when his platoon of 12 soldiers was ambushed by a group of Indians just outside the town. The village of Fairbanks was laid out in 1840 by Benjamin Ernest, James Pogue, and Samuel Myers. On this tract of 20 acres, Pogue had killed a bear which was the last one that had been reported in the area for many years. The first child born in Fairbanks Township was Joel Harris on 17 January 1818, the son of Benjamin and Mary (Paddock) Harris. The first school house was built outside the village in 1823. Students would travel 6 or 7 miles to attend. Professor Ed Liston was the Principal of the school in 1884. The population that year (1884) was 135. The post office at Fairbanks has been in operation since 1878.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Fairbanks, decade by decade

Today1 recent
Fairbanks, Indiana2016Fairbanks, Indiana
On the map

Fairbanks on the map, 1942 to 1966

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Fairbanks. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Fairbanks on the 1942 USGS mapFairbanks on the 1952 USGS mapFairbanks on the 1966 USGS map1942Fairbanks sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Fairbanks.

Famous people

Famous people close to Fairbanks

Nobody well known was born in Fairbanks itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
William Harrison HaysAmerican politician · b. 1879
W
Walter BullockAmerican screenwriter and lyricist · b. 1907
D. Bailey MerrillAmerican politician · b. 1912
Dick Thompson MorganAmerican politician · b. 1853
Frank AydelotteAmerican scholar · b. 1880
R
Robert CoulsonAmerican writer · b. 1928

Questions about Fairbanks’ history

What year was Fairbanks founded?

In 1840, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Fairbanks’ post office opened in 1842.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (1), Wikipedia and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.