Fayetteville developed out of a large settlement formed by the three families of John Crier, James Cummins, and James J. Ross, all three being part of Stephen F. Austin’s Old Three Hundred.  The area would be called Ross Prairie, named after James J. Ross. 

 

A road that ran through the settlement, known as the Old San Felipe to Bastrop road, was a stagecoach stop offering travelers a tavern, hotel, and mercantile stores.  Fayette County was formed in 1837 and the settlement was named Fayetteville in 1844 in honor of Philip J. Shaver who hailed from Fayetteville, North Carolina.  In 1847, Shaver surveyed and platted the town. 

 

Incorporated on March 2, 1882, Max Meitzen was the first mayor of Fayetteville.  Five years later the Taylor, Bastrop and Houston railroad laid tracks in the city, spurring growth throughout the area and a peak in Czech immigration. The heaviest development occurred around the turn of the century before dropping off in the 1930s.   

 

On July 10, 2008, the City of Fayetteville was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.  Today, with a population of 258, the town plat remains relatively unaltered from its initial 1850 survey and street layout, and from its relation to the surrounding community farmland.