Fayetteville Town

Fayette County, West Virginia

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Fayetteville Town Hall is located at 125 North Court Street, Fayetteville, WV 25840.
Phone: 304‑574‑0101.

Beginnings [1]

Nestled in rolling hills atop the New River plateau in an area that is known for its natural beauty, Fayetteville has for long been a significant community in the context of the county and the region. Its earliest known history dates to 1837, when Abram Vandal was instrumental in establishing the town, then known as "Vandalia," as the seat of government in Fayette County, then a part of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The location designated for the first courthouse (which has been the site of all succeeding courthouses, including the present one) was in a rye field belonging to Abram Vandal on property he had purchased between the years 1818-1825. Vandal was also the proprietor of a tavern which, as early as 1830, provided somewhat primitive overnight accommodations for travelers passing through the area. Deed books reveal that in 1837 when Abram Vandal deeded the property to his son there was included a plan entitled "Fayetteville" changing the name of the town to correspond to that of the county and honoring Marquis de Lafayette, a hero of the American Revolution.

The completion in 1848-50 of the Giles, Fayette and Kanawha Turnpike, a portion of which remains in use in Fayetteville, made the town accessible to both private and commercial travelers and contributed to the town's growth and development. Fayetteville resident Hiram Hill, the first Clerk of Fayette County, secured appropriation for construction of the Turnpike, which ran from southwestern Virginia to the Falls of Kanawha, which serving as Fayette County's delegate to the Virginia General Assembly. During these formative years, the community was primarily inhabited by county officials, merchants and farmers. Several families who were instrumental in forming the town have descendants who have continued to reside in Fayetteville to this day.

  1. Ms. Pat Wendell and Michael J. Pauley, Historian, Fayetteville Historic Landmark Commission, Fayetteville Historic District, Fayette County, West Virginia, nomination document, 1990, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places, Washington, D.C.

Nearby Towns: Thurmond Town •


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