Other towns named Fairfield at one time or other

Oakford

We know, through reading about the history of the pioneer days, that forms of “scrip” were frequently used as currency. When money was scarce, local economies were forced to use a bartering system to create trade.

The effect was almost always a disaster.

Today, we call it a “rebate.”

This from Rick Bales of Kokomo, Indiana, who was curious about it and its value. My interest is in the Thomson store, which doesn’t show up on any “Google” searches of southeastern Indiana. It may have been in Cincinnati. Or it could be Thom(p)son. In any event, there is no Thomson who ran a store in Fairfield.

But there was a community at one time in Howard County by the name of Fairfield that eventually changed its name to Oakford.

 Warren Krise of Loveland, Colorado, fills us in on that bit of trivia.

Hi John,

I’m writing to let you know that your Fairfield, Indiana is not the first Fairfield, Indiana to meet an unfortunate demise.

I grew up in Oakford, Indiana, but my father, who grew up there also, always called it Fairfield.

Oakford is just outside Kokomo.

An old map of Taylor Township, Howard County, Indiana. Fairfield is shown clearly on the map. 

The story I was told is that the original town was named Fairfield and the interurban station was named Fairfield but there was already a Fairfield in Indiana so the post office had to have a different name. Somehow it was named Oakford. 

I don’t know when this change took place. It existed as both Fairfield and Oakford for many years depending upon whether you were riding the train or getting your mail.

OTHER TOWNS CAME AND WENT, OR STAYED 

Dayton

Susan Yost Clawson writes and offers a bit more insight about Fairfield's importance to Indiana. Even when we weren't important, we were still first. But we were happy to share.

Hi, John,

I was fascinated ... because of a story connected to my home town, Dayton, Indiana, in Tippecanoe County.

The story goes that when the town was founded in 1829 the folks tried to get a post office under the name of Fairfield but were told that wasn't possible because there was already a post office by that name in the state.

I never knew where this "other Fairfield" was. So then another guy arrived and platted an addition to the town and offered to donate land for a school if he could name the town.

This was all agreed to and he named the town Dayton, after the largest town in the area of Ohio where he came from. And a post office could be obtained under that name. We are still here and so far, so is the post office.

So, even considering the similar story you report about the town in Howard County, it looks like your town might be the original Fairfield post office. Sorry to hear that the town was flooded in the 1970s, but I am fascinated to find the location of the "original" Fairfield post office.

No idea where "Fairfield" PH 393 connected