Editing Fairchilds, Texas (section)

==History==
The village is named after Philo Fairchilds, who settled there circa 1840. He built a house approximately one mile south of the present-day community. Theo Aderholz, August Bede and Charles Blohm founded the original settlement in 1890. A group of [[Mennonite]]s from the north established a colony in 1896 by buying property on Big Creek. Approximately fifty families were soon working the land. They built roads, businesses, and schools, including separate ones for white and black children. After a [[malaria]] epidemic swept the area, the [[Galveston Hurricane of 1900]] wrecked most of the town. Most of the  Mennonites abandoned the site; only a few stayed. A post office served the village from 1912 to 1918, when it closed. In 1912, Louis Kneitz sold two acres to the city to serve as a dance hall; it was called [http://lifeonthebrazosriver.com/Fairchilds.htm Fairchild Hall] and in 1999 the city tore it down, only leaving a cupola  near the site. In 1914, the community had one general store. By 1936, there were four businesses and about 25 people living in Fairchilds. Between 1940 and 1953, the village's population grew from 75 to 125. In the 1960s, there were 110 people in the community. In 1990, Fairchilds had 150 inhabitants, with a cafe and three stores selling tires, feed and general goods.<ref>{{cite web|last=Hardin |first=Stephen L. |title=Handbook of Texas Online: FAIRCHILDS |publisher=Texas State Historical Association |accessdate=October 22, 2012 |url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hnf02}}</ref>