Explore
Explore in and around Fayetteville
Historic places close to home, one a week, back-road drives to the next town over, and the history of the town. Every fact links to where we found it.
Free self-guided walking tour
Walk through Fayetteville’s history
Hear the town’s story where it happened: start on the courthouse square, laid out in 1810, then walk to churches, homes, cemeteries and an old milk plant that is now the county museum, with a narrated track for every stop.
- 14 stops
- 2.8 mi loop
- about 1 hr of walking
- 25 min of audio
With time at each stop the full loop takes about 2¾ to 3½ hours. Short on time? Stops 1–4 make a loop of about 30 minutes.
Field-trip guide for teachers Kids’ History Explorer badge
Photo: the north side of the courthouse square, College Street, with the Lincoln Theater (2015). Brian Stansberry, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons · Credits
Walking tour: ourtownalmanac.com/tn/fayetteville/walking-tour/
The square
Fayetteville was laid out around its courthouse square in 1810, and much of its story is still within a few blocks of it. The walking tour starts here.
See every building on the square
Walking tour stops on the square
- The Courthouse SquareThe middle of the 1810 town plan. A stone plinth on the northeast corner marks where a survey pin was driven to lay out the town.
- Courthouse Lawn: Monuments and MarkersAbout a dozen markers and memorials, placed between 1904 and 2018.
- The Pythian BuildingBuilt about 1900 on the square’s northwest corner; it held the town’s first public library.
History of the square
- Today’s courthouse is the county’s fourth, a Colonial Revival building from 1970 that replaced an 1874 Italianate one.
History notes → - In 1886 a big crowd gathered at the earlier courthouse for the Bob Taylor–Alf Taylor debate for governor.
See the photo → - In the Civil War, Union troops used the walled courthouse as a stable and a temporary fort.
History notes →
Downtown on video
- Host of Christmas Past: A Tennessee Crossroads visit to Host of Christmas Past, when downtown Fayetteville dresses in 1800s style each November. (5:18)
- Dairy Day in Lincoln County, Tennessee: Dairy Day brings farm families and neighbors to downtown Fayetteville each June. (2:54)
Nothing loads from YouTube until you press play.
History page: ourtownalmanac.com/tn/fayetteville/explore/history/
Close to home
One historic place a week from Fayetteville and Lincoln County, with photos, plain history and the sources we used.
This week · Oct. 21, 2026
Petersburg Historic District
Lincoln County's other historic square, about 12 miles north of Fayetteville as the crow flies.
Photo: Brian Stansberry, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (resized). Source · CC BY 4.0
The map
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors; drive lines: OSRM routing estimates. Pinch or use + and − to zoom; tap a group of pins to zoom in on it, then tap a pin for its name and link. The expand button (top right) shows the map full screen. No map? Everything on it is listed on this page and the road trips page.
Historic places of the week
Petersburg Historic District
Open to the publicPhoto: Brian Stansberry, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (resized)
A new place goes up every Friday. Know a place we should feature? Tell us about it.
Walking tour stops on the map (14)
These are the stops on the Fayetteville walking tour, with their own stories, audio and sources there.
- The Courthouse Square
- Courthouse Lawn: Monuments and Markers
- The Pythian Building
- The Old City Calaboose (1867 town jail)
- St. Paul A.M.E. Church
- Rose Hill Cemetery
- Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church
- Fayetteville-Lincoln County Museum (Borden Milk Plant)
- McDonald-Bolner House
- South Elk Street Historic District
- Old City Cemetery
- First Presbyterian Church
- Mulberry-Washington-Lincoln Historic District
- Hugh Bright Douglas House
Road trips
Lynchburg, Pulaski and Shelbyville are each within about an hour of the Fayetteville square. These drives take the back roads, with places to stop on the way. Mileage and times are routing estimates from OpenStreetMap; county roads are slower, so leave extra time.
To Lynchburg
Fayetteville to Lynchburg through Mulberry
Stops include Old Stone Bridge remains and marker; Trail of Tears Bell Route marker, Stone Bridge Park; Mulberry; Lynchburg courthouse square.
See the drive · Lynchburg almanac
Photo: Mulberry Methodist Church. Brian Stansberry, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons (resized).
To Lynchburg
Fayetteville to Lynchburg the long way: Falls Mill and Tims Ford Lake
Stops include Old Stone Bridge remains and marker; Elk River at Stump Shoals (TWRA access); Falls Mill (Museum of Power and Industry); Tims Ford Dam and TVA boat ramp.
See the drive · Lynchburg almanac
Photo: Falls Mill. Brian Stansberry, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons (resized).
To Pulaski
Fayetteville to Pulaski on the Boonshill and Center Point roads
Stops include Trail of Tears Bell Route marker, Stone Bridge Park; Red Oak and Center Point roads (Trail of Tears Bell Route alignment); Pulaski/Giles County Trail of Tears Memorial and Interpretive Center, Pleasant Run Park; Richland Creek Trail of Tears bridge overlook.
See the drive · Pulaski almanac
Photo: Giles County Courthouse. Dmchap007, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons (resized).
From Shelbyville
Shelbyville to Fayetteville through Petersburg
Stops include Shelbyville courthouse square; Petersburg; Old Stone Bridge remains and marker; Camp Blount marker.
See the drive · Shelbyville almanac
Photo: Town square of Shelbyville. Ichabod, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons (resized).
More drives
- Make a day of it: the four-town loop, 141 miles, about 4 hr 13 min of driving.
- Lynchburg to Shelbyville by way of Short Springs, Normandy and Wartrace, 46 miles, about 1 hr 25 min.
- Pulaski to Shelbyville through Lynnville and Cornersville, 56 miles, about 1 hr 29 min.
- Get outside: parks, trails and river access within about 30 minutes of each square.
All road trips, with the drive map
Road trips page: ourtownalmanac.com/tn/fayetteville/explore/road-trips/
History
Exploring the past: our history notes on Fayetteville and the county, with every statement attributed to a public source.
On foot? The Fayetteville walking tour is a self-guided history walk around the courthouse square, with a map and sources.
History page: ourtownalmanac.com/tn/fayetteville/explore/history/
Watch
Videos about Fayetteville and Lincoln County: history talks, festivals, historic places and views from the air, each credited to its maker. Nothing loads from YouTube until you press play.
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