Fort Fairfield, established to protect the area during the Aroostook War, took its name from Maine Governor John Fairfield. The original fort (1839-1843), a duplicate of Fort Kent, was dismantled in 1862. The 1976 replica of the blockhouse is located in a small, quiet park just off Main Street.
The town's Canadian-Pacific Railroad station, built in 1875, is part of the Railroad Museum at the old Bangor & Aroostook rail yard on Depot Street.
The town is in the heart of potato country and hosts the Potato Blossom Festival each July to celebrate the spud's contribution to the northern Maine economy.
