Fayetteville and Washington County came into being almost 200 years ago. A lot of things happen in two centuries-all kinds of things, good and bad. Much of the history of the area has been preserved and is easily accessed, but sometimes, our local history gets lost or simply drops out of the public's consciousness.

Forgotten Fayetteville is a book devoted to retrieving ignored, lost, or forgotten history, mostly in Fayetteville but in the surrounding county, too. Traverse family legacies, untold crimes, and pivotal figures now lost to our communal awareness. Walk down our local memory lane to visit our original schools, movie theaters like the Ozark, Palace, and Victory-the latter almost wiped clean from our past-and the history of Wilson (City) Park. Discover the true account of the murder of an African American police officer... in 1928. Learn how a car wreck near West Fork in 1939 changed the course of American political history and how an internationally-known local author made a triumphant hometown return, only to find that you really can't go home again. Take a trip into forgotten history. It's a journey well worth the effort.