The first plots of Fauresmith, the second oldest town in the Free State, were measured and sold during 1849. It was named after Rev. Phillip Faure, moderator of the Dutch Reformed Church and the governor of the Cape Colony, Sir Harry Smith. It began as a church settlement and the first church service, which was attended by 32 people, was held under a tree on 9 November 1848. Fauresmith is the only place in South Africa, and one of three in the world, where the railroad runs in the middle of the main road. Today it is mostly a farming community.
