The community was founded around the water power of the Grand River in 1848 and was incorporated in 1921. The town prospered under a booming hemp economy spurred by the need for strong rope during World War I. Hemp brought direct income to Fairwater farmers, factory workers and the owners of the Fairwater Hemp Company. An efficient, eco-friendly production process used unwanted parts of the hemp plant to fuel the factory's steam power system. The Fairwater Hemp Company closed in 1931.
Passages that mention Fairwater, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The history of Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, containing ... war record, biographical sketches ... history of Wisconsin ... etc1880 · page 761Read the page →
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la the southwestern part of Metomen, on the Grand River, in 1847, a flouring-mill was built by Messrs. Dakin and Lathrop ; it was a favora,ble site for a village and was the startingpoint of Fairwater, which rapidly grew and was for ten years the commercial center Of a large tract of rapidly developing country. The railroad, in 1856, left Fairwater "out in the cold," and a decline was inevitable.
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The history of Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, containing ... war record, biographical sketches ... history of Wisconsin ... etc1880 · page 755Read the page →
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both." "Grand River" was soon discontinued, but "Mansfield" remained for years the only post office in the town. William Stanton built a saw-mill in 1846, and Messrs. Dakin & Lathrop erected a flouring-mill in 1847 on the branches of Grand River, within the town limits and near Fairwater. The flouring-mill, remodeled, is now owned by Mr. Hurlbut, and has been "on duty" since its erection. The proprietors of the first flouring-mill, Dakin & Lathrop, were also the first merchants, having started a store at Fairwater in 1847. For several years all religious services were held in the settlers' cabins or in the schoolhouses, but, in the summer of 1856, the Free- Will Baptists of Fairwater erected the first church edifice in Metomen.
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The history of Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin1880 · page 343Read the page →
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passing north of the Four Mile House, in the edge of Lamartine, to the Drury place, where it again was identical with the road-bed of the " Waupun road " as far as Schoolhouse No. 1 on Section 34, in Lamartine. It there extended more directly westward through the villages of Brandon and Fairwater, in Metomen, to Green Lake County. From Section 34, town of Lamartine, no traces of the original military road can be found, as it consisted of little more than oak
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The history of Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin1880 · page 761Read the page →
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The first church in Metomen was built at Fairwater. The society was organized February 2, 1850, with the name of the First Free- Will Baptist Church of Fairwater, under the ministrations of Rev. William Mitchell ; the first Clerk was Deacon R. M. Harwood. Their church edifice was dedicated on the 10th of July, 1856, by Rev. Ransom Dunn. The cost was $1,600, and, in 1863, the society built a $1,000 parsonage. The original membership was eight; the present is thirty. The Trustees are F. Newland, C. Tinkham and P. P. Tucker, who also is Clerk. John Hogben is Deacon, and Rev. J. P. Hewes, Pastor. This first church of the town, at the present writing, is the scene of unusual religious interest. The First Regular
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Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
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 (8), Wikipedia, 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.
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