John Lynch

vividly remembers when he first got hooked on history.

He was in fourth

or fifth grade and his teacher brought in several large gray books and

began reading some names. He recognized a few of the names, who were family

members.

The teacher

informed the class all those people had served in the Civil War. And so

began a lifelong joy of historical research.

"I just

loved digging into it," Lynch said of researching his relatives'

backgrounds. "I'm sort of what you'd call a relic hunter, I guess."

Lynch was president

of the Fayette County Historical Society by the time he was 25. He's written

a book about his ancestors during the Civil War when his great-great grandfather

wrote letters to his wife, instructing her how to keep the family farm

going.

And just recently,

Lynch was named the City of Fayetteville's official historian.

Now he presides

over the Holliday-Dorsey-Fife house, which was once a boarding house for

students and now serves as Fayetteville's museum, chock full of photos

and relics from many years past.

The museum

features four rooms with different themes:

Gone With the

Wind, about the famous book and later movie from Margaret Mitchell that

featured main character Scarlett O'Hara going to an academy in Fayetteville.

The War Between

the States, featuring relics, uniforms, weaponry and the stories of many

Confederate soldiers with Fayette ties.

Fayette County

and Fayetteville History, featuring photos depicting the area's rich rural

history and a copy of the city's first newspaper, The Fayetteville Advertiser.

Family History,

which details the three families who owned the house in historical times

and how they impacted the city and county.

Lynch doesn't

mind taking on the role of city historian, since it goes hand-in-hand

with his role at the museum, which also involves providing information

about the various families represented at the old city cemetery.

As a life-long

native, he performed extensive research on Fayette's role in the Civil

War to make sure it would be preserved for future generations. Until his

research, the skirmishes here weren't well-documented for history's sake.

Lynch set off

on that task after reading just a few paragraphs related to the Civil

War in a historical book on the county courthouse. The account, however,

noted that an attorney managed to convince Union soldiers not to destroy

the county's courthouse.

"That's

how legends are made," Lynch noted with a smile.

Lynch is proud

of the museum, which is located on West Lanier Avenue and had its grand

opening last weekend.

"Everybody

seemed to have a good time," he said.

The museum's

hours haven't been set yet, but it will be open Saturday and Sunday in

conjunction with the annual Courthouse Art Show.

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