Fairview, Kentucky

Fairview is a small census-designated place on the boundary between Christian and Todd counties in the western part of the U.S. state of Kentucky. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 286, with 186 living in Christian County and 100 living in Todd County. It is chiefly notable as the birthplace of Jefferson Davis, later President of the Confederate States of America, and as the location of the Jefferson Davis State Historic Site.

History
The community was likely first established by Samuel Davis, an American Revolutionary War veteran who settled on the Todd County side around 1793. Davis opened the first post office there on October 1, 1802, naming the locale Davisburg. His son, Jefferson Davis, the future President of the Confederate States of America, was born here on June 3, 1808.

The Davis family remained in the area until 1810, when they relocated to the Bayou Teche in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana. The community was later known as Georgetown after local tavern keeper George Nichols. The town was incorporated as Fairview on February 6, 1846; the Fairview Post Office opened on the Christian County side on June 8. The post office moved back and forth between Christian and Todd Christian Counties over the years; it is currently located on the Christian County side.

In the 1880s ten Fairview locals purchased the old Davis property and deeded it to Jefferson Davis. Per agreement, Davis in turn donated the lot to Bethel Baptist Church on March 10, 1886. The old Davis homestead was demolished and replaced with a new Gothic Revival church. This burned down in 1900, and the present building was erected on the site the following year.

In 1917, construction of the Jefferson Davis State Historic Site began. It was completed in 1924.

Geography
Fairview is located along U.S. Route 68 / Kentucky Route 80, about 7 mi east of Hopkinsville and 6 mi west of Elkton. The original route of U.S. 68 passed through the town; the new route passes less than 0.25 mi north of the town, and a short section of the original route designated U.S. 68A is also called Jefferson Davis Road. The community is part of the Clarksville, TN–KY Metropolitan Statistical Area.