Founding year: the first Fairchance post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1889.
History grade
What drives Fairchance’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Fairchance is more historic than 47% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Fairchance’s overall grade.
Pennsylvania towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Pennsylvania town has 2.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Fairchance’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (25% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±9.3 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1889 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Fairchance’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Fairchance. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1900Masontown sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Fairchance.
The story so far
Fairchance, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Fairchance yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Fairchance is a borough in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,889 at the 2020 census, a decline from the figure of 1,975 tabulated in 2010. It is served by the Albert Gallatin Area School District.
Its first post office opened in 1880. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,975 to 1,890 (-4%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Fairchance, 1882–1913
Passages that mention Fairchance, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Nelson's biographical dictionary and historical reference book of Fayette County, Pennsylvania1900 · page 387Read the page →
Read the text
The borough of Fairchance derives its name from the old Fairchance furnace, and the town commenced its growth under the auspices of the Fairchance Furnace Company about 1870, while its incorporation, fourteen years later, was largely due to the eftorts of the company and their superintendent, Robert L. ]\Jartin. Fairchance is
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Nelson's biographical dictionary and historical reference book of Fayette County, Pennsylvania1900Read the page →
Read the text
The boroup of Fairchance derives its name from th old Fairchance furnace, and the town comienced its growth under the auspices of le Fairchance Furnace Company about li^o, while its incorporation, fourteen year later, was largclv due to the efforts of thi company and their superintendent, Robrt L. -Martin. Fairchance is
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The Great Bethel Baptist church was organized November 7, 1770, and in July, 1780, this church resolved to build two meeting houses : the first one to be located on the Rogers farm, later the Fairchance Furnace company's farm, about six miles south of Uniontown and near Ichabod Ashcraft's fort. Work seems to have been delayed on this meeting house, as on June 19, 1784, it was resolved that members should work on the
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Tlie.se works, owned and operated by J. W. Moore & Co., are situated about three miles south of Uniontown, near the railroad leading from that town to Fairchance. The property embraces about six hundred acres of land, with a frontage of nearly two miles along the line of the railroad. A part of this land was purchased in 1880, and the construction of ovens then commenced. On the 1st of May, 1881, seventy-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Fairchance, 1880 to 1938
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
The Fairchance post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1889.
How does Fairchance rank for history?
Fairchance is more historic than 47% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Fairchance?
28% of Fairchance’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.3 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1960.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (12), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System 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.
1933
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1933
2024
2024
2016