FROM FAIRFAX'S PAST - THE TRUTH REVEALED

Hi all,

Below is an item that many of you who may have gone into the Fairfax Town Office years ago, I'm sure would have seen. Just what is it???

Since it has been years since it has been used, Donna Meunier asked me if I thought the Fairfax Historical Society would want it. I didn't even bother to check with Mike Cain, my answer was yes.

When the Fairfax Town Office was located in the school just to the right of the front entrance and Dorothy Springs was our Town Clerk, the above item was used in typing many of our land records. Of course in our early years, our land records were handwritten, then we advanced to typing them. When this occurred, many of our Town Clerks had great penmanship, while others, well not so great.

In cases where the Town Clerks may not have typing skills, individuals like Lena Meunier would come in occasionally and type up the land records. At least this was the case here in Fairfax. For the first 150 years or so that land records have been kept here in Fairfax, they are all contained in about 30 books. Keep in mind this includes handwritten as well as typed records.

Donna Meunier showed me some old typed records that were about a half a page long, not the usual land record of today, where some are over 20 pages of typed information. The average year now produces 12 books of land records and typewriters are no longer used as they are all computer generated.

Also, speaking of typewriters, there are still a couple located in the Town Office as some forms still require a typewriter and are not computer generated.