Fairfield, Bedford County, Tennessee

Fairfield, fourteen miles northeast from Shelbyville, in the First and Second Districts, is one pf the oldest towns in Bedford County. The town lies on both sides of Garrison Fork of Duck River, which stream is spanned by a large bridge at the town, and is distant from Wartrace four and a half miles and from Bellbuckle five miles. The land upon which the town was founded was owned by Dr. J. L. Armstrong and Henry Davis; that on the west side of the creek belonged to Dr. Armstrong and was called Petersburg; that on the east side by Mr. Davis and was called Fairfield. The two towns were laid off into lots, and the lots were sold some time in 1830. From 1835 to about 1850 Fairfield (the name of Petersburg was soon dropped) was one of the most flourishing towns in the county, and a large amount of business was annually transacted. The building of the Nashville & Chattanooga Railway destroyed the business to a great extent, and since that time the town has gradually but steadily declined, and at present there are not over fifty in habitants.

 Early Business Men

Osborn & Bro. are the business men of the present. The blacksmiths are Osborn Bros. & Justice, James Martin and Buck Butuer. H. A. Justice & Son have the one corn mill, which is on Garrison's Fork and is of water-power.

Physicians of Fairfield and Vicinity

Present doctors: Drs. Joshua Ganaway, Smith Bowlin, R. W. Kirch, S. K. Whitson

Churches

Fairfield has four churches, two white and two colored. The former are Missionary and "Hard Shell" Baptists, and the latter are Missionary Baptists and African Methodist Episcopal.

Schools

The schools of the town are the Fairfield Academy (chartered), which enjoys an excellent reputation, and the colored free school.

 AHGP Tennessee

Source: History of Tennessee, Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1886.