Fairland, Indiana History

(The Fairland Bulletin, 30 Jan 1879, Vol. 1, No. 45) The Fairland Bulletin newspaper began publishing in March 1878 in Fairland, Shelby County, Indiana. With the motto Multum in Parvo (a great deal in a small space), George S. Jones shared the local news. In the 30 Jan 1879 issue, we see that Lewis W. Mohr was the best student at the school, the fraternal lodges announced their regular meetings, the churches held services once or twice a month, the temperance movement was active, & student Adah Padrick died.                                         (The Fairland Bulletin, 30 Jan 1879, Vol. 1, No. 45) Since Indiana did not organize death certificates until 1899-1900, these newspaper articles are the only record of young Adah's life & death. There is a grave stone in the Boggstown Cemetery for her, but it has no dates. The ads list area businesses, such as William...

  On Sunday morning, 5 Nov 1961, Fairland residents were awakened by a 28-train car derailment in the heart of town. The 161-car freight train was en route from Indianapolis to Cincinnati on the New York Central line with 1 loaded & 160 empty cars. The journal box broke on the car that was loaded with steel scrap which led to the derailment. Newspapers across Indiana reported the story. No one was injured, but Bertha Hasler, age 80, was quoted with her description of the loud crash as some of the train cars landed 15 feet from her house. A tool shed & utility poles were smashed. A crew of 20 with 2 wreckers had the site cleared by Monday. We thank Richard "Dick" Thurston for photographing & documenting the scene and his family for sharing the photos! If you have photos of interest, please consider sharing them with the Fairland Historical Society.

In 1852, Isaac Odell & Henry Jenkins hired J. M. Elliott Company of Shelbyville to plat the town of Fairland, Indiana. On 21 Oct 1852, they filed the documents with the Shelby County Recorder to create the town. Pictured is the Jenkins home directly south of town. Henry Jenkins married Rachel Wharton on 29 Aug 1841 in Shelby County. They had 3 known children: Irwin (died in infancy), Ruth (b. 1846) & Cassius (1848). Rachel died in 1851. Henry owned the steam sawmill in Fairland & sold real estate. Henry married Mary Ann Romerill on 3 Aug 1853, & they had 4 known children: Harriett (b. 1855), Joseph (1857), Mary "Mollie" (1858), Amanda (1860). After Henry's death in 1863, Mary Ann & all the kids (including her 2 step-children, Ruth & Cassius) moved to Holt County, Missouri. Cassius' 1931 obituary (Centralia Journal, Kansas, 16 Oct 1931, p 1) includes: "Shortly after his father's death in company with his step-mother (Mary Ann) he moved ...

 Good News! The Fairland Historical Society is being established. We hope to have more information to share by summer 2024. Follow us on Facebook , and stay tuned!