Fairfield, Missouri
One of the earliest residents of Fairfield was Judge George T. Alexander, a pioneer in Missouri since 1816, who built the town's covered bridge, and operated its mill. He arrived in Fairfield in 1832 and purchased an Indian village for $60. He obtained a ferry license for the Pomme de Terre River at that spot in 1836 and was elected as a county judge. The township was named for Alexander.
Fairfield in 1962 still had the remains of the old mill and the pillars from the old covered bridge. Fairfield had a post office with the town bar in the same building, side by side. There also was an old country church on the north end of town and a bait shop in the center of town with a walkway to the banks of the river bank and the docks that provided john boat rentals. There was a small local country store with food, hardware and clothing, as well as a gasoline station with a repair garage.
Famous people from Fairfield
- James M. Scott, Senior Olympian, inventor
- Judith Moriarty, former Missouri Secretary of State
Further reading
- The Missouri Kid by James M. Scott - a memoir about growing up in Fairfield, ISBN 978-1588201119 (Oct 2000)
References
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Fairfield, Missouri
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ White, Kathleen Kelly (1969). "The History of Benton County Missouri, Vol. 1". The Printery, Clinton, Mo. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
- ^ Lay, James (1876). "History of Benton County Missouri to July 4, 1876". Wincbell & Ebert Print. and Lithographing Co. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
- ^ Overlay, Fauna R. (1943). "Place Names Of Five South Central Counties Of Missouri". M.A. thesis., University of Missouri-Columbia. Retrieved 1 August 2011.