Fairfield History
In the land of Fairfield, the vibes have always been positive. After all, from the moment settler Nancy Bonnifield laid eyes on the expanse that would become our city, she knew such fair fields were deserving of a name to suit them. As the years went on, Fairfield became a hub of good vibes for the State of Iowa — we hosted the first two Iowa State Fairs in 1854-55, opening with the presentation of a 360-pound “Great Denmark Cheese.” Our early history is on display to this day through the many historic sites around town. The Carnegie Museum, for example, is housed in Fairfield’s original Carnegie Library, the first such library west of the Mississippi. Early settler architecture is on display with the Bonnifield Cabin at Bonnifield Park, the oldest two-story log house in Iowa, and the McElhinney House, a stunning New England-style manor built in 1846.
Peer back in time through sites such as the Elm Grove School House, one of 400 remaining one-room schools in Iowa, and Maasdam Barns, which bred and raised award-winning draft horses from 1910-1938 and pioneered agricultural machinery with its use of the Louden monorail system. We’ve always valued higher education here, serving as home to Parsons College for nearly a century. Today, Maharishi International University carries on that tradition to provide knowledge to all who seek it, as well as shaping Fairfield into a hub for arts and culture in the Midwest. The establishment of MIU in Fairfield enhanced the cultural trajectory of the city, drawing in talent from all over the globe and transforming Fairfield into a center for the arts in Southeast Iowa.
