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Fairfield Township, Franklin County, Indiana

Coordinates: 39°30′17″N 84°58′20″W / 39.50472°N 84.97222°W / 39.50472; -84.97222
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Fairfield Township
Old Franklin United Brethren Church, a historic site in the township
Old Franklin United Brethren Church, a historic site in the township
Location of Fairfield Township in Franklin County
Location of Fairfield Township in Franklin County
Coordinates: 39°30′17″N 84°58′20″W / 39.50472°N 84.97222°W / 39.50472; -84.97222
CountryUnited States
StateIndiana
CountyFranklin
Government
 • TypeIndiana township
Area
 • Total15.79 sq mi (40.9 km2)
 • Land13.31 sq mi (34.5 km2)
 • Water2.49 sq mi (6.4 km2)
Elevation981 ft (299 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total473
 • Density30/sq mi (12/km2)
FIPS code18-22306[2]
GNIS feature ID453285

Fairfield Township is one of thirteen townships in Franklin County, Indiana. As of the 2020 census, its population was 473,[3] down from 537 at 2010.[4]

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1890674
1900601−10.8%
1910553−8.0%
1920519−6.1%
1930508−2.1%
19405253.3%
19505586.3%
19605692.0%
1970139−75.6%
198023669.8%
199027616.9%
200047371.4%
201053713.5%
2020473−11.9%
Source: US Decennial Census[5]

Geography

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According to the 2010 census, the township has a total area of 15.79 square miles (40.9 km2), of which 13.31 square miles (34.5 km2) (or 84.29%) is land and 2.49 square miles (6.4 km2) (or 15.77%) is water.[4]

History

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Fairfield Township was established in 1821.[6] Fairfield is a descriptive name referring to the beauty of the countryside.[7]

The Old Franklin United Brethren Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.[8]

Unincorporated towns

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The original town was founded in 1815. It was incorporated as a town in 1876.[9] The village, on the East Fork of the Whitewater River, was known for its buggy-making operations in the late 1800s.

Notable natives included author James Maurice Thompson, who wrote "Alice of Old Vincennes." Women's suffrage pioneer Ida Husted Harper was born in Fairfield.

The town was inundated by a federal reservoir project in the late 1960s.

New Fairfield was founded in the early 1970s after construction began on a federal reservoir project in the valley of the East Fork of the Whitewater River.

The town exists on land once owned by Carl Huber and Herschel Klein.

It contains no commerce or government agencies.

(This list is based on USGS data and may include former settlements.)

Adjacent townships

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Major highways

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Education

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Fairfield Township residents may obtain a free library card from the Franklin County Public Library District in Brookville.[10]

Notable people

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  • Samuel Sidney Harrell (1838-1903), member of the Franklin County bar, served as prosecuting attorney, clerk of the circuit court of his county, spent several years in the Indiana Legislature

References

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  • "Fairfield Township, Franklin County, Indiana". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved September 24, 2009.
  • United States Census Bureau cartographic boundary files
  1. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  2. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  3. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County -- County Subdivision and Place -- 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  5. ^ "Township Census Counts: STATS Indiana".
  6. ^ Reifel, August Jacob (1915). History of Franklin County, Indiana. Windmill Publications. pp. 156.
  7. ^ Reifel, August Jacob (1915). History of Franklin County, Indiana. Windmill Publications. pp. 160.
  8. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  9. ^ Reifel, August Jacob (1915). History of Franklin County, Indiana. Windmill Publications. pp. 161.
  10. ^ "Policies". Franklin County Public Library District. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
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