Fairfield Township

The exact date of the formation of Fairfield Township is not known, but court records point to sometime between August 1825 and December 1826. A petition for the division of Muncy Township was read in court in August 1825. Historical records do not record when the township was formed, but court documents cite Fairfield Township as the residence of a defendant in a lawsuit in a Columbia County court session in 1826. John Andrew Shulze retired to Fairfield Township following his 1823 – 1829 term as Governor of Pennsylvania. Shulze bought 500 acres in western Fairfield Township where he planned to spend his retirement farming in the West Branch Susquehanna Valley. He gave an acre of ground and $100.00 towards building a church. It was built in 1838 or 1839, and was called the Union Church, because the Lutherans and Presbyterians were to have the privilege of using it. In later years it was called the “White Church” because of its color. The church still stands today. Fairfield Township’s population has grown since the 1890 census when 468 citizens were counted and farming was the principal occupation.