Visit Fairfield has launched the Fairfield History Trail, a self-guided, gamified adventure that takes participants to historic locations around the city where they can uncover local stories and earn collectible digital stickers along the way, according to a social media post from Visit Fairfield.
The trail is free to join and requires no app download. Participants receive a digital pass delivered by text and email that can be saved to a phone’s home screen for easy access. Check-ins at each location are automatic using GPS, and each stop unlocks a historically inspired digital sticker. Passes are valid for 365 days from the date of sign-up.
The trail includes more than a dozen stops across Fairfield, covering a wide range of local history. Among the featured locations are the Bonnifield Cabin, recognized as the oldest surviving two-story log house in Iowa and the site connected to the naming of Fairfield itself; the Carnegie Historical Museum, built in 1893 as the first Carnegie library constructed west of the Mississippi River and home to a collection that includes Samurai armor, ancient Roman artifacts, and Lincoln memorabilia; and the Jefferson County Courthouse, the tallest building in Fairfield, built between 1890 and 1892 at a cost of just over $73,000.
Other stops highlight the Louden Machinery Company, whose founder William Louden earned 118 patents and whose inventions went on to be used in World War I manufacturing, Boeing’s B-52 assembly plants, and NASA’s Apollo program; the Maasdam Barns, once home to world-champion draft horses and a hub of early 20th century agricultural innovation; and the Elm Grove Schoolhouse, one of only about 400 one-room schoolhouses still standing in Iowa, built in 1866 and preserved at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds.
The trail also includes stops tied to the Underground Railroad, with connections to Quaker communities near Fairfield and Pleasant Plain who helped freedom seekers; the Mehitable Woods Exhibit, honoring a Civil War-era humanitarian who made nine major supply trips to soldiers on the front lines and was reportedly commissioned as a Major by Iowa Governor Samuel J. Kirkwood; Parsons College, which gained national fame as a second-chance school before closing in the 1970s after losing accreditation; and the State Fair Rock, marking the site of the very first Iowa State Fair held in Fairfield on October 25, 1854, which drew between 7,000 and 8,000 visitors.
Additional stops include Chautauqua Park, the Jefferson County Freedom Rock, the Henn Mansion, the Dairy Bar, and exhibits dedicated to Daniel Stephenson, Lincoln history, and the Square’s historic light tower.
Participants can pick up a free History Trail Pass and get started at visitfairfield.com or by contacting Visit Fairfield.
