Read the old town paper
The Fayetteville Observer ran from 1850 to 1966. Read an old page together at the library's Genealogy Room and compare it to this week's paper.
- Who
- Families, Kids, Adults, Seniors
- Ages
- 9+
- Time
- About an hour
- Cost
- Free
- When
- Any time of year
- Show up
- At the library's Genealogy Room.
How to do it
- Visit the library's Genealogy Room (newspaper clippings and microfilm, per its page).
- Our history page says 1,376 issues of the Fayetteville Observer, mostly 1850-1889, are free online at the Library of Congress.
- Find the ads. What did things cost? What stores were there?
- Pick up this week's Elk Valley Times and compare.
Grown-ups’ part
Come along, keep it short and fun, and let the kids lead the looking and asking. You handle anything that involves calling, sending or sharing.
Think about it
What will someone in 150 years learn about us from this week's paper?
Why it matters
Historical contextExploration & critical thinkingPreserve historyMake history fun for families & kids
Related
- Our Fayetteville history page
- Take the "now" for an old photo
- Start a family tree at the Genealogy Room
- Read every marker on the courthouse lawn
- All 150 things to do together
Sources
Know better? If something here is wrong or out of date, tell us.
Did it? Send us your photo or story. We print kids’ first names, faces or photos only with a parent’s OK.