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History · Fairburn

Fairburn dates to 1886, and 69% of its homes were built before 1940

1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 2 buildings. Below: maps from 1957 on and the census since 1930.

1886founded
1on the National Register
69%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Fairburn began

When was Fairburn founded?

1886

Fairburn dates its founding to 1886 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1930.

First census: 91 in 19302020 census: 60140 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1878.The full story ↓

What stands out about Fairburn’s 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 Fairburn are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Fairburn’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 120 in 1940; 60 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Fairburn’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Fairburn’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 Fairburn came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Fairburn.

Read it all →

Fairburn was platted in 1886. The town was named from its location on a stream, burn being a Scottish word meaning "creek". A post office has been in operation in Fairburn since 1887.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

People over time

Fairburn, census by census

010019401960198020002020Peak: 120

Peaked at 120 in 1940; 60 people lived here in 2020.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Fairburn’s Wikipedia page.

Timeline

Fairburn, 1878 to 1957

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1878Post officeThe French Creek post office opens
  3. 1886
    FoundingFairburn is established
  4. 1887Post officeThe French Creek post office closes
  5. 1887Post officeThe Fairburn post office opens
  6. 20th century
  7. 1940CensusPopulation peaks at 120
  8. 1957On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Fairburn, decade by decade

Today1 recent
SDMap-doton-Fairburn2004SDMap-doton-Fairburn
On the map

Fairburn on the map in 1957

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Fairburn.

Fairburn on the 1957 USGS map1957Fairburn 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 Fairburn.

On the National Register

1 historic place in Fairburn

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
2018
Fairburn Historic Commercial District
Fairburn Historic Commercial District
Districts
All 1 listings
Fairburn Historic Commercial DistrictDistrict · listed 2018

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Fairburn’s post office has been open since 1887. Another post office, French Creek, opened and closed inside today’s town.

French Creek
1878–1887
Fairburn
1887–today
18701950today

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Fairburn’s history

What year was Fairburn founded?

In 1886, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Fairburn’s post office opened in 1878, and the census of 1930 counted 91 people here.

What is on the National Register in Fairburn?

One place: the Fairburn Historic Commercial District (listed 2018).

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), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.