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Every item links to its source; we checked them on Oct. 21. Times are Central. Read it on the web.
A note from the publisher This week brings our first Fayetteville crossword. Every answer is somewhere on the walking tour, so it's a fine excuse to take the kids downtown and look closely. Please thank our firefighters, officers, deputies and EMS crews, who work the extra hour when the clocks fall back Saturday night. And meet the Chamber of Commerce, our first civic spotlight. As always, if we got something wrong or missed something, just reply.
Go explore
Take the Fayetteville walking tour. A self-guided loop around the courthouse square: 14 stops and about 2.8 miles, with a map, narrated audio and a source for every fact. Short on time? Stops 1-4 take about 30 minutes.
This week's stop
The Courthouse Square (Stop 1): This is where Fayetteville starts. The town was laid out around the square in 1810, on land the county bought from settler Ezekiel Norris, and Fayetteville Main Street writes that the courthouse acreage was cleared by Richard Sappington, a freed Black man. On the square's northeast corner, a stone plinth marks where a survey pin was driven in 1810 to lay out the town: the spot Fayetteville was measured from. Stay on the sidewalks and the lawn, and out of the street.
Kids' challenge: find the survey-pin stone on the square's northeast corner. Then look across Main Avenue at the brick building on the northwest corner (Stop 3): how many floors does it have?
Finish the walk and a grown-up can send in the answers for a free History Explorer sticker and printable certificate. How to earn a sticker →
Source: Our tour page, Stop 1 (citing Fayetteville Main Street)
Then and now
The courthouse, 1886 and today
Documented The 1874 Italianate courthouse in the old photo is gone. Today's Colonial Revival courthouse dates from about 1970 and is the county's fourth.
Not known yet We don't know which side of the old courthouse the 1886 photographer was facing. Know better? Tell us
Look at both pictures: what stayed the same, and what changed?
Sources: Our tour page, Stops 1 and 2 · Tennessee State Library and Archives (TeVA)
On your way, stop in at a shop or cafe on the square. Each tour stop lists what's nearby.
Send us your photo. Email it to hello@ourtownalmanac.com and tell us where you took it.
Historic place of the week
This week's historic place: Mimosa's hand-built school
Photo: rossograph, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (resized)
About 6 miles northeast of the Fayetteville square, a stone schoolhouse with a bell tower stands on Mimosa Road. Neighbors built it in 1911: they cut the limestone and ran a Sears and Roebuck machine to make the concrete blocks. The National Register nomination calls it one of the first consolidated schools in Tennessee. It taught grades one through ten until 1953, then became the community center. View from the road. Photos, sources and visiting tips inside.
This week’s sponsor Fayetteville Liquidation Center, at 115 Elk Ave. N., gets new stock every day, according to the store, so there’s always something new to find. The store has been open in Fayetteville since 2021. Stop by and see what’s new this week. Thank you to them for sponsoring the Almanac and helping keep it free; sponsors never choose our stories. Hours, map and directions → This week around town
Every item links to the organizer or an official page, checked Oct. 21. Plans change, so check before you go.
Happening this week
Friday, Oct. 30
Noon-2 p.m.
Loops & Lattes (crochet meetup)
Fayetteville-Lincoln County Public Library, 306 Elk Ave. N.
A relaxed space for beginners and experienced crocheters, per the library's program guide.
7 p.m.
Lincoln County High School football at Franklin County
Away game at Franklin County High School
7 p.m.
Fayetteville High School Tigers football at Eagleville
Away game at Eagleville
7-9 p.m.
Social Gals Crow Party (trinket trading)
Upstairs gallery, Fayetteville-Lincoln County Arts Center, 303 Main Ave. S.; $5 donation for the Arts Center
Bring shiny trinkets to swap and a jar to collect them, per the Arts Center listing.
Open this week
Lyon Family Farms fall festival (pumpkin patch & corn maze): last two days
Fri. Oct. 30, noon-8 p.m. (fireworks on Friday nights); Sat. Oct. 31, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., the last day of the season. Posted hours.
Fayetteville-Lincoln County Museum
Fri. Oct. 30 and Sat. Oct. 31, 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (posted May-November hours). Tours are free, given by volunteer docents. The museum may close for weather, so call (931) 297-2450 to check.
Library storytime and clubs in November
The library's November calendar isn't posted yet (as of Oct. 21). Its storytime page says Tiny Tales meets Wednesdays at 10 a.m.; the October calendar listed Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 a.m. Call (931) 433-3286 to confirm and sign up.
Public meetings
Mon. Nov. 2, 5 p.m. (Finance Committee 4:30 p.m., Central Office, 2nd floor)
Fayetteville City Schools Board of Education
Auditorium, 1st floor, Fayetteville Municipal Building, 110 Elk Ave. S.
To speak in public comment, the board asks for a written request to the Director of Schools' office five days before the meeting (Board Policy 1.404). Agenda not posted yet (as of Oct. 21).
Thu. Nov. 5, 4 p.m.
Fayetteville Housing Authority Commission
Housing Authority Office
Regular meeting: 1st Thursday, 4 p.m., per the city's boards page. We could not find a posted agenda. Agenda not posted yet (as of Oct. 21).
Fayetteville Board of Mayor and Aldermen: Next meeting Tue. Nov. 10, with a public hearing on a proposed C-3 zoning district update. Source
Lincoln County Commission: No meeting posted for Oct. 30-Nov. 5 (the latest posted is Oct. 20). Source
Lincoln County Board of Education: No November meeting posted yet (as of Oct. 21). Source
Fayetteville Municipal Planning Commission and Public Utilities Board: Both met the week of Oct. 27. The city's boards page lists the Planning Commission on the 4th Tuesday and the Utilities Board on the 4th Wednesday. Source
Notices
We link to the official pages; we don’t write alerts ourselves.
Clocks fall back Sunday, Nov. 1, at 2 a.m.: see NIST: daylight saving time rules (checked Oct. 21)
Test your smoke alarms when you change the clocks: see U.S. Fire Administration: smoke alarm care (checked Oct. 21)
Outdoor burning and burn permits: see the Tennessee Division of Forestry (BurnSafeTN) (checked Oct. 21)
Road work and closures: see TDOT SmartWay (checked Oct. 21)
Power outages: see the Fayetteville Public Utilities outage map (checked Oct. 21)
Utility news and notices: see Fayetteville Public Utilities (checked Oct. 21)
City notices: see City of Fayetteville news (checked Oct. 21)
County notices: see Lincoln County notices (checked Oct. 21)
New in town
We couldn't confirm a new opening from an official or dated news source this week.
| Your photo here | New business in town? Send us a photo of your storefront or team, and tell us who took it. Send a photo → |
Civic spotlight
The Chamber describes itself as a voluntary organization that unites businesses and professionals to support our area's economy and quality of life. It is also the county's tourism office: its site says it is the only active tourism organization serving Lincoln County.
Its office at 208 S. Elk Ave. answers more than 12,000 phone calls and 6,000 visits a year from people asking about the area, according to the Chamber. It hands out New Neighbor packets to newcomers, runs a Student Advisory Board for high-school students, and hosts the Host of Christmas Past downtown, set this year for Nov. 13-14.
How to get involved (it's open to everyone)
- New in town or have a question? Stop by the office, Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m.-4 p.m., or call (931) 433-1234. More
- Have a skill or a story to share? The Chamber's program called The Linc signs up guest speakers and readers for K-12 schools in Lincoln County. More
- High-school students (Lincoln County High, Fayetteville High, Riverside Christian Academy and homeschool): ask about the Student Advisory Board. More
- Membership isn't only for businesses: the Chamber's dues list has rates for nonprofits and for individuals. More
- Giving a gift? Chamber Bucks are spent at Chamber member businesses, keeping the money in Lincoln County. More
Say thanks: if you call or stop by with a question, thank the people who answer. And be kind this week to everyone working a counter or a phone line. They're our neighbors.
Meet your Chamber on our site →
From the Chamber’s own pages: The Chamber's site · The Linc · Student Advisory Board · Community calendar (checked Oct. 21). We chose the Chamber ourselves. The Almanac is independent; we just think you should know them.
Who remembers?
 124 College St. E. (outlined) on the April 1914 map. Library of Congress | The hardware store at 124 College St. E., north side of the square Documented The 1887 and April 1914 fire-insurance maps both mark this storefront “Hardw.” (hardware); the 1926 map just says “S.,” for store. Fayetteville Main Street’s history of the square says of this building: “For over 130 years a hardware company has occupied the East side.” What we think The maps and Main Street’s history may be describing one long hardware run on this spot. Our directory doesn’t list a business at 124 College St. E. today, so we don’t know if it’s still going. |
Is there still a hardware store at 124 College St. E.? Do you have a photo, a receipt or a memory of shopping there? Tell us →
Sources: Sanborn map, 1887, sheet 1 (Library of Congress) · Sanborn map, April 1914, sheet 9 (Library of Congress) · 1926 map (UT Knoxville Libraries) · Fayetteville Main Street, History (checked Oct. 24) · Know better? Tell us and we’ll fix it.
On this date, Oct. 31, 1881: James W. Bagley was born in Fayetteville 145 years ago this Saturday. He grew up to be an aerial photographer, mapmaker and inventor who helped work out how to make accurate maps from pictures taken from airplanes. The Bagley Icefield in Alaska is named for him. Source: Wikipedia: James W. Bagley Did you know? In April 1869, the Observer reported that “the town scales on the Public Square are nearly completed,” built for weighing “live stock, wagons, hay, cotton, etc.” The reason: “Very few men, particularly if buyers and sellers, agree in guessing the weight of articles being sold.” In November 1870 the scales settled a question about a poplar log “ten feet long,” headed for the saw mill: “six thousand and seven hundred pounds. A big one.” Sources: Fayetteville Observer, April 29, 1869, p. 3 (Library of Congress) · Fayetteville Observer, Nov. 10, 1870, p. 3 (Library of Congress)
Square Detective · We notice. You tell us.
This week’s Square Detective puzzle
Where to look. “Court House, Fayetteville, Tenn.,” H. G. Zimmerman & Co.; postmarked July 31, 1909. Tennessee Postcard Collection, Tennessee State Library and Archives (No Copyright – United States). Tinted postcard as printed; marks added on a copy.
Start small with the branches on the trees around the old courthouse: what season is it, and what do you see that makes you say that? Now widen the view: this card was postmarked July 31, 1909, and postcard makers of the day often touched up their photos. Do the trees and the postmark agree, and which would you trust?
Square Detective: the answer
The case: a postcard of the old courthouse, mailed July 31, 1909, shows trees with bare branches. The answer: the photo wasn’t taken in summer. Bare trees point to a leafless season before the card was mailed, most likely late fall to early spring (the pale ground could be snow, dust or the printer’s tint, so we can’t call it snow). There’s a new case each week, and the answer comes Friday. More cases on the Square Detective page.
Got an old photo of the square? Send it in. It could become a Square Detective case. Share a photo → or email hello@ourtownalmanac.com.
Only send photos you own or have the owner’s OK to share. Loaned photos stay yours.
The Fayetteville Crossword
A small puzzle for a fall weekend. All 14 answers are on our self-guided walking tour, and each clue tells you which stop to check. Solve it on your phone (it checks your work), or print this email and use a pencil. Answers next issue.
| 1 | | | 2 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 4 | | | | | | | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | | | 6 | | 7 | | | 8 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 9 | | | | | | | 10 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 11 | | | | | | 12 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 13 | | | | | | | | |
Across2 Oral histories say the women of St. Paul A.M.E. carried bricks to the site in these Hint: see Stop 5 4 Camp ___, where Tennessee volunteers mustered for the Creek War in 1813 Hint: see “Worth a drive” on the walking tour 7 ___ Cemetery, the large town cemetery on College Street West (4, 4) Hint: see Stop 6 9 The 1927 Borden plant bought it from more than 1,200 farmers Hint: see Stop 8 10 "Many a person has looked through these ___" (plaque at Stone Bridge Park) Hint: see Stop 4 11 The Knights' ___ met in the hall on the top floor of the three-story building on the square's northwest corner Hint: see Stop 3 12 The 1867 jail's barred ___ is now on display at Stone Bridge Park Hint: see Stop 4 13 Fayetteville was laid out around it in 1810 Hint: see Stop 1 Down1 Adm. Frank B. ___ II, the Fayetteville native who served as the Navy's Chief of Naval Operations Hint: see Stop 6 3 ___ Building, the circa-1900 fraternal hall on the square's northwest corner Hint: see Stop 3 5 Old word for a jail; Fayetteville's was built in 1867 Hint: see Stop 4 6 Fayetteville's first public one was run for more than 50 years by the Round Dozen, a women's literary club Hint: see Stop 3 8 River once spanned by the six-arch Stone Bridge Hint: see “Worth a drive” on the walking tour 9 Members tried to pull down First Presbyterian's war-damaged steeple with these, plus oxen and horses Hint: see Stop 12
Every clue comes from our Fayetteville walking tour, which cites its sources for each stop.
Help us out A photo of the Lincoln County obelisk on the west side of the courthouse lawn. We don't have one yet; tell us who took it so we can credit them. Send a photo → Old photos of the square, any side, any decade. We'll credit you, and you keep your copyright. Send a photo → A story, a memory or a fix for anything on the walking tour. Tell us → Events, with the date, time, place and a link to the organizer's page. Organizers, add a photo of your event or venue if we may use it, and who took it. Send it → Ideas? website · newsletter · Fayetteville We read every reply. We share ideas only with your permission, and without your name unless you say so. Got kids 4–13? Junior Detectives is our free puzzle newsletter for kids. Sign up here.
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