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What stands out about Fairton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
This area was occupied historically by the Lenape and Nanticoke peoples, both part of the Algonquian languages family of the Atlantic coast. Their territory was encroached on by European-American settlers from colonial times.
The first industry in Fairfield was a mill, established by English settler Samuel Fithian. He owned part of the Grist Mill on Forke Creek before 1702. No information has been discovered on the other owners, but the shares were probably held in common. At some time before 1763, the owners moved the mill dam to near Clarks Pond Road. The mill was owned by David Clark from 1759 to 1843.
Passages that mention Fairton, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of the early settlement and progress of Cumberland County, New Jersey1869 · page 73Read the page →
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at Greenwich, thence to Henry Brooks' at Fairfield, then keeping the road by the meeting-house, on the bank of the river, at New England Town to Grimes' bridge (probably over Rattlesnake Run at Fairton,) then keeping the old road until it coraeth to the road going to Daniel England's saw-mill, to two oak trees marked M. M. Daniel England's mill was at Buckshutem, and was afterwards
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History of the early settlement and progress of Cumberland County, New Jersey1869 · page 25Read the page →
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There was a bridge across the saw-mill pond, back of the Methodist meeting-house lot, over which the road to Fairfield passed, which was laid out as a public road in 1763. This road crossed Mill Creek near Fairton, at Joseph Ogden's mill-dam, which was lower down the stream than the present dam. Seeley's mill was erected at an early date, but when or by whom has not been ascertained; but the writer recollects that fifty years ago the remains of an old fulling mill were visible near the mid-
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Gouldtown, a very remarkable settlement of ancient date1913 · page 88Read the page →
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that it was called " Gouldtown " when Bridgeton was called "Bridgetown" or "The Bridge"; old records, before 1800, make mention of " on the road from Gouldtown to Bumbridge " — meaning what is now Fairton. A chronicle of the Gould families just before and just following the Revolutionary War discloses good grounds for calling the settlement " Gouldtown " during that period.
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Gouldtown, a very remarkable settlement of ancient date1913 · page 171Read the page →
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and by his will left one thousand dollars for the schools of Bridgeton; the sum being still invested and the interest paid to the school fund of Bridgeton. Westcott, and the McGees, resided near Fairton. In 1809 Isaac W. Crane, a young and brilliant but later rather eccentric lawyer, came from Salem and settled in Bridgeton, where he practised law for thirty years ; during this time he found leisure to teach school
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Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Fairton, 1820 to 1897
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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 (5), Wikidata (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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