Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Below: 2 old photos and papers from 1930 on and old-book passages.
The Fayetteville post office opened in 1826, the earliest record of the town by name.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Fayetteville’s history is told.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
From Wikipedia’s history of Fayetteville.
A post office called Fayetteville has been in operation since 1826. The community has the name of Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757–1834), American Revolutionary War general.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Fayetteville, cut from the printed page as they were published.
(Findlayville, situated originally about half a mile from Fayetteville, but now incorporated into it, was laid out by Col. John Findlay, in 1830. It is all now Fayetteville). “The town has a population of about 700, five churches— Presbyterian (the old brick church), Methodist, Reformed, Baptist, United Brethren, Covenanter and Lutheran—five general stores, three grocery stores, two grist-mills and a large saw-mill.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Altodale [Mont Alto P. O. ). — The first settler in this vicinity was John Funk, in 1817; he built the first house in the village, which is situated on the east bank of the west branch of Little Antietam Creek, about five miles south of Fayetteville; has a thriving population. There are two general stores, three churches, a school building of two rooms, etc. The place was originally known as ' ' Funkstown. ' ' Mont Alto Circuit, Methodist Episcopal Church embraces the following congregations: Altodale, with a brick structure, 33x61, built in 1874; Mont Alto,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
About this time application was made for a postoffice in the place. Objection was made to the name in the postoffice department and it was changed to Fayetteville, in honor of Gen. LaFayette. (Findlayville, situated originally about half a mile from Fayetteville, but now incorporated into it, was laid out by Col. John Findlay, in 1830. It is all now Fayetteville). The town has a population of about 700, five churches — Presbyterian (the old brick church), Methodist, Reformed, Baptist, United Brethren, Covenanter and Lutheran — five general stores, three grocery stores,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
2 decades in the archive, from the 1930s to the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Fayetteville’s page.
Retake this view · +15Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
The Fayetteville post office opened in 1826, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikimedia Commons (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
