Located in the Ozark Mountain region of Arkansas is the city of Fayetteville. The region was once occupied by the Osage and Quapaw tribes. Later, as a part of the Indian Removal Act, the area was set aside for occupation by the western Cherokee Nation. A settlement was established there in the 1820s and when Washington County, Arkansas was created in 1828, the settlement was selected as the county seat and it became known as Washington Courthouse. In 1829, it was renamed Fayetteville. In 1841, it was incorporated as a city and received a city charter in 1859.

In the days preceding the Civil War, as arguments arose over whether Arkansas should secede from the Union or not, attorney Jonas Tebbetts and his family argued in favor of the Union, against secession. When Arkansas seceded, Tebbetts was imprisoned at Fort Smith to await execution by hanging. When General Benjamin McCullough, who had ordered the execution, was killed at the Battle of Pea Ridge, Tebbetts was set free. As soon as travel was safe, Tebbetts relocated his family to St. Louis, Missouri. His home in Fayetteville was used as headquarters for both Union and Confederate forces at different times. It became known as Headquarters House. Much of the fighting that occurred during the Battle of Fayetteville occurred on the grounds in front of the house. It’s located at 118 E. Dickson Street.

During the Civil War, the citizens of Fayetteville strongly supported the Confederacy. Union troops raided the town on July 14th, 1862 and it became an occupied city. On April 18th, 1863, troops of the Confederacy attempted to drive the Union troops out of Fayetteville, but were unsuccessful. In August of 1863, the town was burned and following the Battle of Pea Ridge, the town and citizens were shelled by artillery under the command of General Price of the Missouri Guard on November 3, 1863.

Following the Civil War in 1867, Fayetteville’s city charter, which had been issued in 1859, was abolished by the legislature. It wasn’t until 1906 that it was incorporated again.

The Arkansas Industrial University established in 1871 under the Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act of 1862, satisfying the state constitution of 1868, which stated that the General Assembly was to “establish and maintain a state university.” The school was built on a hill, located on the William McIlroy Farm. The primary instructional and administrative building was completed in 1875 and became known as Old Main. Today, Old Main is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Arkansas Industrial University was later renamed the University of Arkansas.

Fayetteville is a place of much natural scenic beauty, including nearby mineral springs. It is a summer resort for those hoping to get back to a more relaxed life in a very pretty setting. It is also an area known for its fruits, mainly apples, that grow so well in the vicinity.