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Fairfax, South Carolina, located in southern Hampton County near the border with Allendale County, has roots that reach deep into the agrarian and transportation history of the South Carolina Lowcountry. Before the arrival of European settlers, the region was home to Native American tribes who utilized the fertile soil, waterways, and abundant game of the coastal plain. Their trails and trading paths would later influence the road systems connecting settlements across the Lowcountry.

European settlement began in earnest during the 18th century as planters and farmers pushed inland from Beaufort and Savannah, drawn by the area's gently rolling land and access to the Savannah River basin. Agriculture became the primary driver of the local economy. By the mid-19th century, large plantations dominated the landscape, growing cotton, corn, and other staple crops. The labor of enslaved Africans shaped not only the agricultural success of the region but also its cultural foundation—through language, religion, and culinary traditions that endure today in the Gullah-Geechee heritage.

The founding of Fairfax as a formal town came later, tied closely to the arrival of the railroad in the late 19th century. When rail lines were extended through Hampton County, a depot was established in the area that would become Fairfax, and the community quickly grew around it. The town's name reportedly derived from a combination of nearby family names and early property owners. With rail access, Fairfax became a center for shipping agricultural products, timber, and turpentine—commodities that sustained the region's rural economy well into the 20th century.

Infrastructure and community life developed steadily over the decades. By the early 1900s, Fairfax boasted schools, churches, small stores, and civic organizations typical of a close-knit southern town. The surrounding countryside was dotted with farms and sawmills, and the expansion of U.S. Highway 278 later provided a vital link between Fairfax, Hampton, and Allendale. The town weathered periods of economic hardship, particularly during the Great Depression, but maintained its agricultural focus. In later decades, textile and wood product industries offered limited diversification, while improvements in transportation allowed residents to commute to larger job centers.

Today, Fairfax stands as a small but resilient community known for its friendliness, heritage, and rural charm. Though quieter than in its railroad heyday, it remains a vital part of Hampton County's cultural landscape. Families appreciate the area's low cost of living, open spaces, and proximity to regional centers like Hampton and Allendale. The surrounding fields, pine forests, and historic architecture speak to a past rooted in hard work and endurance. Modern Fairfax balances its agricultural legacy with a growing appreciation for history, nature, and the simple pleasures of small-town Lowcountry life.