Hidden Gems of Fairbury Ne 2

Follow your hostess Gina Grizzle as she takes you on a tour of the Fairbury Mill dam, our hidden Fairbury gem #2
The decade from 1900 to 1910 saw the largest growth in Fairbury's history; the census of 1910 reported a population of 5,294, representing a sixty percent increase over the ten years.[8]

A major fire in 1903 swept the commercial district, destroying almost the entire block south of the courthouse square; the only building to survive was the original brick courthouse. Within a year, however, the entire block had been rebuilt.[8]

In 1909, E. J. Hested opened his dime store, The Fair Store, in one of the new buildings. Two years later, the name of the store was changed to Hested's. In 1925, the store moved into a new and larger building; the business expanded to over 150 stores in the Midwest and Mountain States before its acquisition by the J.J. Newberry chain in 1969.[13]

The 1910s and 1920s were the peak years for the Rock Island Railroad, with fourteen passenger trains passing through Fairbury daily, and with hundreds of Fairbury residents on the payroll. To accommodate this traffic, the railroad constructed a new depot, at a cost of $40,000.[11] The city's commercial district underwent a considerable expansion, including two movie theaters and several large retail stores.[8] In 1915, civic leaders began promoting the brick paving of Fairbury's downtown streets; by 1930, there were 10 miles (16 km) of paved road.[4] The 1920s and 1930s saw a proliferation of automobile-related businesses, such as garages, gas stations, and repair shops.[8]