National Register Listing

Fayetteville Historic District

Roughly bounded by E. Bell, N. Thompson (FM 1291), E. Fayette, E. Main (SH 159), Post Oak Lane,, Fayetteville, TX

Fayetteville, Texas, is a small town of 260 inhabitants in south-central Texas with a cohesive group of commercial and residential buildings. The town's development and character have been heavily influenced by the large number of Czech farming families that immigrated to the area. Early Anglos came from the Southern states and operated large plantations and owned slaves. German immigrants began arriving in the 1830s and 1840s yet were surpassed by the influx of Bohemian and Moravian immigrants in the subsequent three decades. By the post-Civil War period European immigrants, primarily small farmers, outnumbered the Anglos. Philip Shaver, a native of Fayetteville, North Carolina, purchased the land, planted the town, and began selling lots in 1850. The railroad arrived in 1887 and the city prospered and by 1917 supported a population of 500 inhabitants. The Depression and WWII significantly curtailed farming efforts in the state and Fayetteville lost population to larger Texas towns and cities during the first half of the twentieth century. Those that did leave retained strong ties to the city and regularly returned for holidays and to visit relatives. Today Fayetteville remains a small but vibrant community with a population of 260. The Fayetteville Historic District is nominated for listing in the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A in the areas of Ethnic Heritage/European (Czech), and Community Planning and Development, as well as under Criterion C in the area of Architecture all at the local level of significance. The period of significance is 1853-1958, representing the date of the oldest extant building, and continuing to the 50-year point.

Local significance of the district:
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 2008.