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History · Fairwater

Fairwater’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Fairwater. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

1848established
0old images & papers
6recent photos

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

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.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Be one of the first

Start Fairwater’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Fairwater’s history is told.

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Famous people from FairwaterWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Fairwater.Meet them →
By decade

Fairwater, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
Today6 photos
Fairwater Wisconsin Sign Looking northwest WIS44CommonsFairwater Wisconsin Sign Looking northwest WIS442013Fairwater Wisconsin Panorama Looking North WIS44CommonsFairwater Wisconsin Panorama Looking North WIS442013Fairwater Wisconsin Looking West WIS44CommonsFairwater Wisconsin Looking West WIS442013Fairwater Wisconsin Civic CenterCommonsFairwater Wisconsin Civic Center2013Fairwater Public School now Historical SocietyCommonsFairwater Public School now Historical Society2013Fairwater Brandon Wisconsin Fire Station Water TowerCommonsFairwater Brandon Wisconsin Fire Station Water Tower2013
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Fairwater is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Fairwater has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Brandon Village Hall and Library in Brandon, 4.2 miles away.

Fairwater and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Fairwater. Tap a dot.
Brandon Village Hall and LibraryZion Congregational ChurchSouthwest Historic DistrictMarcellus Pedrick HouseLittle White SchoolhouseRipon College Historic District

Closest to Fairwater

Brandon Village Hall and LibraryBrandon · Late Victorian · Built 18944.2miZion Congregational ChurchAlto · Greek Revival · Built 18585miSouthwest Historic DistrictRipon · District6.7miMarcellus Pedrick HouseRipon · Built 18566.9miLittle White SchoolhouseRipon · Built 18537.1mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Brandon Village Hall and Library’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Fairwater?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Fairwater’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Metomen📜 Brandon📜 Alto📜 Green Lake

From Wikimedia Commons (6). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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