Just in time for the summer break, Fayetteville Main Street has printed two, separate walking tour brochures for visitors and locals that are interested in learning about the history of our wonderful city. The brochures are available at the new Directory kiosk located next to the Gazebo in Downtown Fayetteville, and also at the Train Depot Welcome Center.
The first brochure focuses on Downtown Fayetteville’s historic landmarks and the notable people that helped to shape and influence the growth of this community in its earlier history. Included on the tour are points of interest such as, Fayetteville’s oldest standing home, the world’s longest courthouse bench, and the original site of the Fayetteville Academy. The tour spans about 10 city blocks.
Main Street Director, Brian Wismer, would like the department to offer guided tours if the interest exists within the community. “We would love to take interested individuals and groups on a guided tour to each of the stops. There is a lot more information to supplement what we had room to include on the actual brochure. There is so much history and great stories to go along with these landmarks. It could really be fun and educational thing for all age groups,” explained Wismer.
The second brochure is exclusively dedicated to the Historic Cemetery and the interesting stories of Fayetteville’s prominent residents that currently “reside” in this historic burial site. Among those counted are Fayetteville’s original Mayor, Captain Redwine, as well as the relatives of famous Americans including Margaret Mitchell (Gone With the Wind) and “Doc” Holliday. For space reasons, the brochure focuses on 14 different burial sites. The cemetery however, has many other great people buried there with great stories to discover. The Holliday-Dorsey-Fife Museum currently offers guided tours through the cemetery to interested groups by appointment. On these extended tours, people will learn about the lives of Fayetteville’s most notable characters and get a great sense of the town’s early history.
The brochures are part of a Main Street/Downtown Development project that also includes the Directory kiosk, and the new wayfinding signs located at intersections throughout the Main Street District. The project is partially funded by a Preserve America grant that was awarded to the City by the National Parks Service, Department of the Interior. The remaining funds were provided from proceeds of the Downtown Development Authority.
