Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Fayetteville

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
AHistory
History · Fayetteville

Fayetteville dates to 1809, and 20% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 92% of U.S. towns · #1 of 177 in Tennessee. What drives it

7 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 188 buildings between them. Below: 23 old photos and papers, maps from 1887 on, and the census since 1850.

1809founded
7on the National Register
20%homes built before 1940
23old photos & papers
28famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Fayetteville’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Fayetteville began

When was Fayetteville founded?

1809

Fayetteville dates its founding to 1809 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1850.

First census: 995 in 18502020 census: 7,068217 years

How historic is Fayetteville?

A

More historic than 92% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1811.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Fayetteville’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Fayetteville is more historic than 92% of U.S. towns, #1 of 177 in Tennessee. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.

A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Fayetteville’s overall grade.
Founding era1809, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194019.7% of homes (±6.3) · typical TN town 4.9% · U.S. 8.4%B+National Register7 listings, 192 historic buildings, 272 per 10,000 residents · typical TN town 6.1 · U.S. 2.4A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 92%
NewerOlder
Tennessee towns of 2,500+ (177)#1 of 177

Tennessee towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Tennessee town has 6.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Fayetteville’s 272 sits above most of its state (97% of Tennessee towns have fewer) while its 192 historic buildings outnumber those of 93% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.3 points). Two sources give 1809.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Fayetteville’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A historic districtThe Mulbery-Washington-Lincoln Historic District takes in 164 historic buildings.A town in old photos23 old photos, postcards and papers, 1836–1939.Mapped building by building6 fire insurance maps, 1887 to 1914, drew every building in Fayetteville.Lost villages5 hamlets and corners are still on the map.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

7 listings protect 192 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
7
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
192
each building in a district counts
first listed
1982
Hugh Bright Douglas House
Hugh Bright Douglas HouseMcDonald-Bolner HouseMount Zion Missionary Baptist ChurchSt. Paul African Methodist Episcopal ChurchMulbery-Washington-Lincoln Historic DistrictSouth Elk Street Historic District
BuildingsDistricts
Hugh Bright Douglas HouseBuilding
McDonald-Bolner HouseBuilding
Mount Zion Missionary Baptist ChurchBuilding
St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal ChurchBuilding
All 7 listings
Mulbery-Washington-Lincoln Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1984South Elk Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1989Toll Gate HouseBuilding · listed 2026

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

By decade

Fayetteville, decade by decade

4 decades in the archive, from the 1830s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1830s1 item
Fayetteville Historical Sign1836Fayetteville Historical SignDocument
1880s–1910s19 items
1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Tennessee - Lincoln County - Fayetteville - ED 52-9, ED 52-10, ED 52-1118801940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Tennessee - L…1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Tennessee (TN) - Lincoln County - Fayetteville - ED 52-11 to 1618801950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Tennessee (TN…Lincoln-county-tn-courthouse-taylor-debate1886Lincoln-county-tn-courthouse-taylor-debateLeo 48 inches high, 8 years old. Picks up bobbins at 15 (cents) a day in Elk Cotton Mill. He said, "No I don't help... …1910Leo 48 inches high, 8 years old. Picks up bobbins at …Lewis Wickes Hine - Young Doffers in the Elk Cotton Mills, Fayetteville, Tennessee - Google Art Project1910Lewis Wickes Hine - Young Doffers in the Elk Cotton M…Little Fannie1910Little FannieThe title is wrong. It is a machine to feed rest material into the new raw cotton1910The title is wrong. It is a machine to feed rest mate…Young doffers in Elk Cotton Mills. Fayetteville, Tenn1910Young doffers in Elk Cotton Mills. Fayetteville, TennYoung spinners in Elk Cotton Mills. Youngest girl hardly knew her name. Youngest boy runs two sides at ten cents each..…1910Young spinners in Elk Cotton Mills. Youngest girl har…Young doffers in Elk Cotton Mills. Location: Fayetteville, Tennessee1910Young doffers in Elk Cotton Mills. Location: Fayettev…Young doffers in Elk Cotton Mills. Location: Fayetteville, Tennessee1910Young doffers in Elk Cotton Mills. Location: Fayettev…Superintendent and Overseers in Elk Cotton Mills. Location: Fayetteville, Tennessee1910Superintendent and Overseers in Elk Cotton Mills. Loc…Young boy on warping machine Elk Cotton Mills. Location: Fayetteville, Tennessee1910Young boy on warping machine Elk Cotton Mills. Locati…Young spinners in Elk Cotton Mills. Youngest girl hardly knew her name. Youngest boy runs two sides at ten cents each a…1910Young spinners in Elk Cotton Mills. Youngest girl har…Group of spinners in Elk Cotton Mills. Youngest girl hardly knew her name. Youngest boy runs two sides at ten cents eac…1910Group of spinners in Elk Cotton Mills. Youngest girl …The whole force in Elk Cotton Mills. Tiny boy in white waist on extreme left, "Just helps his mother," the superintende…1910The whole force in Elk Cotton Mills. Tiny boy in whit…The whole force in Elk Cotton Mills. Tiny boy in white waist on extreme left, "Just helps his mother," the Superintende…1910The whole force in Elk Cotton Mills. Tiny boy in whit…Leo, 48 inches high, 8 years old. Picks up bobbins at 15 cents a day in Elk Cotton Mills. He said, "No, I don't help me…1910Leo, 48 inches high, 8 years old. Picks up bobbins at…Little Fannie, 7 years old, 48 inches high, helps sister in Elk Mills. Her sister (in photo) said, "Yes, she he'ps me r…1910Little Fannie, 7 years old, 48 inches high, helps sis…
1930s3 items
Chamblee, J.F.; tenant home1939Chamblee, J.F.; tenant homeOld Bearaden Plant, D.W. Broadwat lease1939Old Bearaden Plant, D.W. Broadwat leaseRailroad station1939Railroad station
1940s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today16 recent
Nature walk near Fayetteville, TN, 92009Nature walk near Fayetteville, TN, 9Nature walk near Fayetteville, TN, 82009Nature walk near Fayetteville, TN, 8Nature walk near Fayetteville, TN, 72009Nature walk near Fayetteville, TN, 7Nature walk near Fayetteville, TN, 62009Nature walk near Fayetteville, TN, 6Nature walk near Fayetteville, TN, 52009Nature walk near Fayetteville, TN, 5Nature walk near Fayetteville, TN, 42009Nature walk near Fayetteville, TN, 4Nature walk near Fayetteville, TN, 32009Nature walk near Fayetteville, TN, 3Nature walk near Fayetteville, TN, 22009Nature walk near Fayetteville, TN, 2Nature walk near Fayetteville, TN, 12009Nature walk near Fayetteville, TN, 1Dam near Fayetteville, TN, 32009Dam near Fayetteville, TN, 3Dam near Fayetteville, TN, 22009Dam near Fayetteville, TN, 2Dam near Fayetteville, TN, 12009Dam near Fayetteville, TN, 1Lincoln County Tennessee Courthouse2008Lincoln County Tennessee CourthouseFayetteville Tennessee square2008Fayetteville Tennessee squareOld City Cemetery, Fayetteville (Lincoln County), Tennessee2006Old City Cemetery, Fayetteville (Lincoln County), Ten…Headless Monument2006Headless Monument
Every building

Fayetteville, building by building, 1887–1914

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Fayetteville fire insurance map, 1887, sheet 11887Sheet 1 of 2
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

The story

How Fayetteville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Fayetteville.

Read it all →

Fayetteville is the largest city in Lincoln County. The city was established in 1809 by an Act of the Tennessee General Assembly. The act became effective on January 1, 1810.

The lands that include Lincoln County and Fayetteville were originally part of Cherokee and Chickasaw land. They were ceded to the United States in 1806.

The city was named for Fayetteville, North Carolina, where some of its earliest residents had lived before moving to Tennessee. The earlier town was named for Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, a French general who fought for the United States during the American Revolution. Lincoln County was named for Major General Benjamin Lincoln, second in command of the U.S. Army at the end of the Revolutionary War.

ChaptersTornadoes

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Fayetteville, 1809 to 1949

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1809
    FoundingFayetteville is established
  3. 1811Post officeThe Fayetteville post office opens
  4. 1836In the archiveFayetteville Historical Sign
  5. 1875Born hereHatton W. Sumners is born here
  6. 1878Born hereWilla McCord Blake Eslick is born here
  7. 1880In the archive1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Tennessee - Lincoln County - Fayetteville - ED 52…
  8. 20th century
  9. 1910In the archiveLeo 48 inches high, 8 years old. Picks up bobbins at 15 (cents) a day in Elk Cotton Mill.…
  10. 1933Born hereFrank Kelso is born here
  11. 1936On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  12. 1939In the archiveChamblee, J.F.; tenant home
  13. 1949Born hereRick Dempsey is born here
On the map

Fayetteville on the map, 1936 to 1982

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Fayetteville. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Fayetteville on the 1936 USGS mapFayetteville on the 1951 USGS mapFayetteville on the 1966 USGS mapFayetteville on the 1982 USGS map1936Fayetteville sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Fayetteville.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Tennessee - Lincoln County - Fayetteville - ED 52-9, ED 52-10, ED 52-11
Retake this view1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Tennessee - Lincoln County - Fayetteville - ED 52-9, ED 52-10, ED 52-11, 1880

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 · +15
People over time

Fayetteville, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,0001850190019502000Peak: 7,691

Between 995 and 7,691 people in every census since 1850.

17 censuses, 1850–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Fayetteville’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

28 famous people were born in Fayetteville

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Frank KelsoAmerican Navy admiral · b. 1933
Hatton W. SumnersAmerican politician · b. 1875
Rick DempseyAmerican professional baseball player, catcher,… · b. 1949
Willa McCord Blake EslickAmerican politician · b. 1878
John Morgan BrightMember of the Tennessee House of Representatives · b. 1817
J
John Neely BryanAmerican businessman and lawyer · b. 1810
Places that used to be

Old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Fayetteville’s post office has been open since 1811.

Hamlets and corners on the map
CresonElk Mill VillageElmwood TerraceMadden HomesMayberry Courts
Gone or out of use
Civilian Conservatino Corps Camp TVA Number 33localeDonalson Hospitalhospital
9cemeteries and burying grounds inside Fayetteville
BeardCunningham - Creson AdditionNorrisOld Fayetteville CityPleasant ViewRiverviewRose HillRoutt-WellsSlater

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish Fayetteville’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old view1940 Census Enumeration District Maps -…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Fayetteville’s history

What year was Fayetteville founded?

In 1809, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Fayetteville’s post office opened in 1811, and the census of 1850 counted 995 people here.

How does Fayetteville rank for history?

Fayetteville is more historic than 92% of U.S. towns, #1 of 177 in Tennessee. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Fayetteville?

7 listings: 5 buildings, among them the Hugh Bright Douglas House (listed 1982, the first), and 2 historic districts, the Mulbery-Washington-Lincoln Historic District and the South Elk Street Historic District, with 188 contributing buildings. 192 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Fayetteville?

20% of Fayetteville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.3 points), against a typical 4.9% for a Tennessee town; the median home was built in 1964.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (29), the Library of Congress (10), the National Register of Historic Places (7), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.