Welcome to the Timeline Page

•   1800s   1900s

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 Henry Voltz, an immigrant peddler, was arrested when the body of his partner, named Lawler, was found murdered. 

  Local leaders lobbied hard to bring the southern extension of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad through Wayne County in the early 1870s to insure an economic growth.  They succeeded in a route that was ten blocks west of the Fairfield business district.  Small depot towns expanded or sprang up along the route countywide; villages too distant from the railroad began a slow fade.

  Built about 1840 on the east side of the courthouse square, the Jackson House was an elegant hotel.  Abraham Lincoln may have stayed there . 

  Built about 1840 on the east side of the courthouse square, the Lang Hotel was an elegant hotel.  Abraham Lincoln may have stayed there .   Lang Hotel Page 

  Wayne County’s first log courthouse was replaced by a substantial two-story brick structure about 1837. Scarcely thirty years later the second courthouse was deteriorating.  A two-story, brick, “fire proof” building was erected on the southwest corner of the courthouse yard to insure the safety of the county records. That “fire proof” burned in 1886; arson was suspected.

 The Fairfield Woolen Mills installed its own engine for the first electrical service in the mid-1890s.  Between 1895 and 1898, electric lines were spreading around the community and the city invested in a power plant.  Electricity was not available in the rural areas until the 1930s.

  Chartered in 1885, Hayward College operated in an imposing two-story brick building on the Hayward property (where FCHS stands now).  Robert Hayward donated the land and a massive campaign raised local money to construct the building and hire staff. The building had ten large classrooms, a chapel, offices, and library. In 1898 chimney sparks caught the roof on fire. 

  In the late 1890s George C. Sexton of St. Louis purchased the vacant Fairfield Woolen Mills complex on outer west Main Street using local financing.  The machinery was removed or updated and workers produced “jeans” cloth.  The market slumped. Alternative products failed and Sexton’s brother-in-law, Hugh G. Ferguson, took over the operation. Reluctantly but fortuitously, he retooled to produce athletic underwear for men. 

  All the businesses on the south side of the 100 east Main from First Street to its central alley were involved in this catastrophic blaze.  Castle’s Feed & Coal, the Baumberger Bakery, Harvey’s Millinery, Thompson & Rickard Grocery, and Brockett’s Furniture burned. 

 Cottages for Sexton workers: The Sexton factory employed a large number of women as seamstresses or in related work. To encourage a stable workforce, the company built a complex of cottages, a recreational center, and cafeteria beside the massive main work building on West Main. 

1916--Frank Kirby, The Human Fly: Daredevil Frank Kirby was hired to climb the Wayne County courthouse steeple during a street fair event.  As a large crowd watched, Kirby scaled the tower until he reached a recently-painted section of louvers on the clock tower.  He slipped, fell, bounced from the lower roof, and landed on the ground. 

  The automobile's growing popularity created the need for significant road improvements.  In 1923 contracts were let to put down a solid cement surface between Fairfield and the Little Wabash Bridge east of town, then to Golden Gate and Edwards County. A brick road was being built from Albion toward Fairfield at the same time.  Contractors picked up the road at the west edge of Fairfield and built toward Wayne City.  

  Emanuel Steiner established his clothing business in Fairfield in 1874. He became a mainstay of the community. His 50th anniversary in business was celebrated by the biggest parade in the town’s history. The entourage began west of town, marched through the business district, and ended at the city park.  

1926--The Opera House Block Fire: Yet another major loss came when fire destroyed the Pendleton & Boggs Opera House block.  The 1870s two-story brick complex housed a general merchandise store, drug store, furniture store, and “opera” auditorium.  The Masons had moved their quarters from the building shortly before the fire.  The blaze began in the corner (E. Main and N.E. 2nd) on Christmas Eve and by morning the substantial structure was a pile of smoking ruins.  Eventually the property was redeveloped with new businesses including Gus’ Candy Corner, Arnold’s Apparel, etc. In 2015 the old Opera Block houses the Chamber of Commerce office, Male Connection, Studio 117, and Carnaby Square apparel. 

1935--Chefford-Master Arrives: On July 8, Ben Frankel and associates joined the Chefford Automotive Parts, Inc., in Brooklyn, NY, the MasterParts Mfg., and General Fabricating, in Chicago.  The result was Chefford-Master which located in Fairfield after vigorous lobbying by a determined group of local businessmen.   After WWII, the Air-Tex division became the focus and the company was re-worked and renamed. 

  Born in Jasper Township in Wayne County, William E. Borah was educated in rural schools and the Enfield Academy before reading law and moving west.  He eventually married the daughter of the governor of Idaho and settled into law practice and politics.  He was elected senator for the state and entered into national politics.  “The Lion of the Senate,” Borah was one of the most powerful senators and eloquent speakers of his era.  

   Electricity was not widely available in the rural areas until three decades after it was installed in Fairfield.  Depression-era governmental programs helped support the project.  The Wayne-White Electric Cooperative steadily lit the countryside, farm after farm, transforming all aspects of country life from electrical appliances in barn and home to electric lights in one-room schools and radios in the parlor. 

  The search for oil in Wayne County began as early as 1907 when a dry hole was drilled.  The Leach brothers of Golden Gate used their mechanical genius to devise a drilling unit in the early 1930s. They were unsuccessful. Oil was struck in increasingly close territory by the mid-30s, especially in the Clay County area.  Leasing escalated. The oil boom finally arrived in Wayne County in March, 1937 with the Bradley Discovery Well #1 halfway between Geff and Cisne.  

   From the pioneer era until the 1940s Wayne County’s population was fairly evenly spread between town and country. Country schools were the main source of “common school” education for most children.  As the small farm was absorbed into larger holdings and the automobile defined transportation, rural schools closed or consolidated.  

    A major civic dream came to fruition with the dedication of the Fairfield Memorial Hospital in 1950.  The hospital cost over $1,200,000, one-third of which was local funding. Governor Adlai Stevenson gave the dedicatory address. The hospital had 84 beds, surgery, obstetrics, lab, emergency services—a fully equipped hospital. 

        Pat Bruce, a Fairfield native and FCHS graduate, was successful in several local and state beauty pageants including the Lions’ Club Miss Fairfield contest.  As Miss Illinois, she became the state’s entry to the national Miss America contest in Atlantic City, during the pageant’s most popular era.  There Pat Bruce was chosen as Miss Congeniality by her co-contestants.  It was the first year the iconic beauty contest was shown on television. Pat’s Miss Illinois and Miss Congeniality trophies are on display in the Hanna House Museum in Fairfield 

Have you opened a new location, redesigned your shop, or added a new product or service? Don't keep it to yourself, let folks know.

Have you opened a new location, redesigned your shop, or added a new product or service? Don't keep it to yourself, let folks know.

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