Fairplay, MD

Fairplay is a Washington County census-designated place between Hagerstown and Sharpsburg along Maryland Route 65. It is often paired with Tilghmanton, with the two communities sharing a post office and the Fairplay Volunteer Fire Company. The surrounding roads run through the old farm country of western Maryland, while Marsh Mills preserves a more industrial slice of the landscape. The stone house and mill complex dates to about 1850; its grist mill later became a creamery, and the property is listed on the National Register.

Fairplay’s fire company began in 1947 after neighbors organized following a serious household accident. Early fundraisers included dinners, dances, movies, and the community carnival; the carnival returned in 2018 with fried country ham sandwiches, steamers, fresh-cut fries, rides, and entertainment. The company’s old 1949 Dodge fire engine still sits at the station, and the original siren remains in use. Fairplay’s local scoop is that the firehouse is also a community scrapbook, with emergency service, food, and local memory all sharing the same address.