Garfield in Victoria, just on the north eastern edge of the Koo Wee Rup Swamp, was originally called Cannibal Creek. In May 1886 the Cannibal Creek Post Office was established at the Railway Station. There was community agitation to change the name and eventually Garfield was selected, and the Post Office became known as the Garfield Railway Post Office on May 16, 1887 and around the same time the School also changed its name from Cannibal Creek. So who was Garfield, the man who gave the town its name? James Abram Garfield was the 20th President of the United States of America. During the Civil War (which lasted from April 1861 to May 1865) he also served on the Union side and became a Brigadier General and two years later a Major General of volunteers. He was an abolitionist and supported the end of slavery. While he was serving in the Union Army, he stood for election for the Federal House of Representatives and was elected in October 1862. Garfield then went on to win another eight elections. He began his Presidency on March 4, 1881. Garfield’s presidency, noted for his attack on political corruption, was short lived as on July 2, 1881 he was shot by Charles Guiteau at the Baltimore and Potomac Railway Station in Washington. Sadly, for President Garfield he had a very slow death and this was exacerbated by the medical procedures of the time and he finally died on September 19, 1881.
There are 23 other places in the world also called Garfield, according to this website https://geotargit.com/ – all in the United States. I have included an interesting fact about each of these town. If you had the time and the money a visit to each town named Garfield in the USA would make an interesting holiday. According to the 2016 Census Garfield, Victoria had a population of 1, 786, which makes it a bigger town than most of the American Garfields.
Garfield, Arkansas. Near Beaver Lake which has 487 miles of natural shoreline and 31,700 surface acres. Beaver Lake is the largest supplier of water for Northwest Arkansas, serving more than 450,000 customers. One out of 7 people in Arkansas get their drinking water from Beaver Lake. https://www.arkansas.com/garfield and https://www.swl.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/Lakes/Beaver-Lake/
Garfield, Arkansas is near Beaver Lake.
Garfield, Georgia. Population in the 2010 Census was 210. The town was incorporated in 1905. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garfield,_Georgia
Garfield, Idaho. The community is situated on Garfield Bay, an inlet of Lake Pend Oreille, which is the largest lake in Idaho and the 38th largest lake in the US. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garfield,_Bonner_County,_Idaho
Garfield, Illinois. Garfield Township is a farming district. The Chicago & Alton Railroad, which passes almost through its centre from a north-easterly to a south-westerly direction; and the K. & D., owned by the Big Four System, passing through the north-western part, carry its products to Chicago. Garfield was created in 1902. https://grundy.illinoisgenweb.org/history/garfieldtwp.php
Garfield, Indiana. I can’t find much about the town but the creator of the Garfield comic strip, Jim Davis, grew up on a farm in Fairmount, Indiana.
Garfield, Iowa. Located in the south central portion of Mahaska County, lying just west of the county seat of Oskaloosa. The most notable communities that lie within this township include; Beacon and Evans. At one time, Bolton and Coal City also existed in the township, but disappeared when the coal mining presence left the scene in the early 20th Century. https://www.iowaheritage.org/items/show/78623
Garfield, Kansas. Garfield is a sleepy, drive-by hamlet in Pawnee County on the U.S. 56 highway, built on part of the legendary Santa Fe Trail. Passing through, a few tourists may stop and rest for a bit in the city park and perhaps peek into the Wayside Chapel, but there is not much in the town to detain a visitor. Garfield was never a metropolis, but in the late 19th century and first half of the 20th, it was a robust agricultural community with a thriving small-town economy. It was typical of the many towns that sprang up throughout the Great Plains as settlers poured in to break up the hard prairie sod and plant wheat. It’s population today is 190 and it is nearly a ghost town. https://readthespirit.com/feed-the-spirit/apple-cake-garfield/
Garfield, Kansas - City Hall and Post Office.
Garfield, Kentucky. A Post Office was established in 1880, a small town. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garfield,_Kentucky
Garfield, Maryland. One of the few structures in Garfield is the Garfield United Methodist Church. It is relatively small and is located on Stottlemeyer Road. The town has an elevation of 1,453 feet (443 m). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garfield,_Maryland
Garfield, Michigan. The township has a variety of inland lakes including Perch, Crooked Lake and Eight Point Lake. http://www.garfieldtownship.net/pictures.htm
Garfield, Minnesota. Located on the Central Lakes Trail. This is a 14 foot wide, 55 mile long, nearly level, paved trail built on a former railroad line stretching between Fergus Falls and Osakis. It additionally passes through the communities of Dalton, Ashby, Melby, Evansville, Brandon, Garfield, Alexandria, and Nelson. The trail traverses through, or next to, a scenic mixture of woodlands, grasslands, lakes, wetlands, and farm country. http://www.garfieldmn.com/ and https://www.centrallakestrail.com/
Garfield, Minnesota - City Hall and Community Centre -
Back row: Paulynn Terhark (City Clerk), Joyce Kvilhaug (Council-member), John Nienaber Jr. (Mayor), Jason Uhde (Council-member) Front Row: Troy Mills (Council-member) and Trent Ziegelman (Council-member)
Image: http://www.garfieldmn.com
Garfield, Missouri. A little village and post-office in Oak Grove Township. The village was earlier known at Sittonville for a captain of the Confederate army, John J. Sitton, who kept a store on his farm. When the post-office was established, in his store, Thomas Hays, an old army chum of his, suggested the name for President James A. Garfield.. All has disappeared but the school and church.
Garfield, New Jersey. Originally called East Passaic when the town was developed in 1873 and the name was later changed to honour President Garfield. There is an interesting history of the area here https://www.garfieldnj.org/
Garfield, New Mexico. It’s on the Rio Grande River. Elevation is 4,104.3 ft (1,251 meters) and the population in 2010 was 137. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garfield,_New_Mexico
Garfield, New York. Rural locality; has a cemetery and a Church. South of Cherry Plain State Park. I found this out from Google maps.
Garfield, Ohio. Garfield is a tiny community of about twenty homes and a busy feed mill along Ohio State Route 534, right along the Norfolk Southern railroad a mile north of Damascus. When the railroad was built through Salem to Alliance and beyond in 1852, Garfield became an important stop on the line. The railroad brought businesses to Garfield, including the Spear fruit packing house, the Quaker Valley Fruit Canning House, the Garfield Creamery Company, a brick yard and Tillman Hall’s steam-powered feed mill. https://www.farmanddairy.com/columns/rusty-iron/garfield-ohio-home-to-macdonald/15356.html
Garfield, Pennyslvania. A suburb of Pittsburgh – described as ‘squeezed between Lawrenceville and Bloomfield, is the up and coming neighborhood of Garfield! Receiving its namesake from being established the day US President James Garfield was buried, Garfield Pennsylvania is quickly becoming Pittsburgh's most lively community. This neighborhood emphasizes the arts, Eco-friendly habits, and community togetherness’ https://www.thedustinnulfteam.com/garfield.html Another interesting website here https://pittsburghneighborhoodproject.blog/2019/03/01/garfield-a-neighborhood-profile
Garfield, Pennyslvania - A colorful assortment of row homes off of Dearborn Street
on the south-western edge of Garfield.
Garfield, Texas. Garfield, on State Highway 71 twelve miles southeast of Austin in eastern Travis County, was formed around 1880. In 1884 the settlement reported fifteen residents, a church, a school, a steam gristmill, a cotton gin, and a general store. By the early 1890s its population was estimated at 100. The Garfield post office was discontinued in 1902, and mail for the community was sent to Del Valle. During the 1980s, however, when developments on the Colorado River began attracting new residents, Garfield began to grow. In 1985 its residents voted to incorporate the community to avoid annexation with Austin. The population was reported at 745 in 1988, 1,336 by the early 1990s, and 1,660 in 2000. https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/garfield-tx-travis-county
Garfield, Texas - Water Tower
Image and more information can be found here http://www.worldstallestwatersphere.com/?p=819
Garfield, Utah. The town of Garfield was a mining town built by Utah Copper in 1905-1906 to house the workers and their families who worked at the Smelter, Refinery, Arthur and Magna Mills. At one time there were over 2,000 people in Garfield. https://onlineutah.us/garfieldhistory.shtml
Garfield, Vermont. The Town of Garfield was one of seven towns granted in 1779 by the State of Vermont. It was organized in 1798. Nearly all of the early settlers belonged to the Society of Friends (Quakers) and for many years that was "the only society that sustained regular religious worship" in the town. This is from a 1927 report Lessons From a Eugenical Survey of Vermont, so it makes for some 'interesting' reading http://www.uvm.edu/~eugenics/primarydocs/00-temp-results-throwout/3rdannual.html
Garfield, Washington. It has a population of 600, is situated in the Palouse Hills region, surrounded by awe-inspiring scenery and golden wheat fields. ‘A more attractive and friendly town would be hard to find’. https://www.garfieldwa.com/
Garfield, West Virginia. The home of the Garfield Christian Church Cemetery. Here’s how to get there. It is located near the Wirt-Jackson county line. Traveling up Turkey Fork road toward Palestine, turn right on Leroy road. Cemetery is about 1/4 mile on right at top of hill in a wooded area, not visible from road. It is a V-shaped lot between the Somerville-Davis and Wilkinson farms, with wide part toward the road. https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2481219/garfield-christian-church-cemetery
Garfield, Wisconsin. The town owns Lake Wapogasset Park. The park was deeded to the Town of Garfield on November 13, 1926. The rules for the park included the fact that ‘no public dancing, use of intoxicating liquors or disorderly conduct of any kind shall be permitted on said premises’. Has a website http://www.townofgarfield.com/
Garfield, Wisconsin - Town Hall
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