FAYETTEVILLE, WV (WOAY) – Up until recently, it was believed the town of Fayetteville was founded in 1883. That was until new documents were discovered citing the town’s official incorporation date as Nov 21, 1872.
That means the town is officially turning 150 years old this year.
According to Fayetteville Mayor Sharon Cruikshank, the document was found while they were searching for information on the previous mayors of the town.
They received a tip that the WVU Law Library archives had documents of the minutes from old town hall meetings.
They were expecting to receive documents dating back to 1883, but they went further back to 1873, and they also discovered the incorporation document dated for 1872.
“1883 is what has been in a lot of our history books,” Cruikshank said. “Thankfully history is always a discovery.”
To celebrate the occasion, the town is gearing up to create a historical compilation of the town. They’re looking for photographs and information on the town’s buildings, groups, churches, families, businesses and anything else with a strong connection to Fayetteville.
Town historian Lewis Cook authored a compilation nearly 40 years ago to commemorate the town’s 100th anniversary, and is looking to make this new compilation for the 150th as accurate and as detailed as possible.
“Fayetteville has a very interesting history,” Cook said. “The idea is to trace down every aspect and document it in an organized way.”
The town is asking the public to help out with this initiative. Anyone with photographs or stories of town history can send them to the mayor’s office before June 1.
