Welcome To FallowField Township
Fallowfield Township is truly where the Mid-Mon Valley started more than 200 years ago. Established in the 1781, the township is one of Washington County's oldest and most historic communities. Incorporated as a township in 1781, shortly after the creation of Washington County, Fallowfield Township was much larger than it is today. Somerset, Pike Run, Carroll and Allen townships were created from the original Fallowfield Township; likewise, Donora, North Charleroi and Charleroi boroughs were once a part of Fallowfield Township. Allen Township has been replaced by several boroughs north of California, along with Long Branch and Twilight. The earliest pioneering families in the township were probably the Speer and Frye families. It is believed they homesteaded in Fallowfield Township in the early 1770s. However, other hearty pioneers may have been present even earlier. The earliest "plantations" were located on or near the Monongahela River, Pigeon Creek or Maple Creek. These three were of major importance to the settlers. The earliest villages were Ginger Hill, Jonestown and Lover. Charleroi Borough was not formed until much later. Farming was the main occupation in 1781 and remained so for the next 150 or so years. The land was well suited for raising the big cash crop, which was "rye". Fallowfield Township residents were in the heart of the Whiskey Rebellion in the 1790s and numerous stills were confiscated in 1794 when President George Washington sent troops to enforce the "whiskey tax". The millennium was at hand in FallowField Township and with the coming of the 1800s also came the development of roads, schools, services, and coal mines. Fallowfield Township now has more than 4,900 residents in some 1,700-plus homes. The largest employers are the Charleroi Area School District and Maple Creek Mining. The Fallowfield Township Police Department was established in 1965. Prior to that, the township was patrolled by constables and the Pennsylvania State Police. At the time of its inception, the police department was an all part-time force and the officers worked in their own vehicles and out of their homes. The township's fire department was chartered in March 1964 and is headquartered on three acres at Gothheld's Corners, which is the center of the township. The company started out with one old used pumper. In 1994, the fire company started an extensive rebuilding project that included erecting an additional double bay garage to house equipment. |
