Fayetteville NC History: Market House, Poe House, Timeline

The timeline below covers each era from the Cross Creek trading settlement to the Fort Bragg redesignation, followed by the historic sites where you can still see that history downtown.

Fayetteville NC History Timeline

Year	Event	Source
1755	Millwright John Newberry settles at Cross Creek, the town's earliest root	NCpedia
Colonial era	Campbellton, a mile away on the Cape Fear River, holds the county courthouse	NCpedia
1783	A state legislative committee lays out the village and renames it Fayetteville for Lafayette	NCpedia
1788	Cool Spring Tavern built; it survives as the city's oldest standing building	Clio
Nov. 21, 1789	Convention in the State House ratifies the U.S. Constitution; N.C. becomes the 12th state	N.C. DNCR marker
1789	Legislative session in Fayetteville charters the University of North Carolina	NCpedia
1825	Lafayette visits, escorted by the Fayetteville Independent Light Infantry	BizFayetteville
1831	Fire destroys the State House and about 600 houses	N.C. DNCR marker
1832	Market House (Old Town Hall) rebuilt on the State House site	N.C. DNCR marker
1838	U.S. Arsenal at Fayetteville built on Haymount	N.C. DNCR
1861	Arsenal surrendered to the state on April 22 and transferred to the Confederacy	N.C. DNCR
March 12, 1865	Sherman's troops destroy the arsenal	N.C. DNCR
1897	Poe House built for local business owner E. A. Poe	N.C. DNCR
Sept. 4, 1918	Camp Bragg established, named for Gen. Braxton Bragg	Fort Bragg tour guide (Army MWR)
Sept. 1922	Camp Bragg redesignated Fort Bragg	Fort Bragg tour guide (Army MWR)
Nov. 7, 1973	Market House designated a National Historic Landmark	National Park Service
June 2, 2023	Fort Bragg redesignated Fort Liberty	U.S. Army
March 7, 2025	Fort Liberty redesignated Fort Bragg, honoring Pfc. Roland L. Bragg	DVIDS

Cross Creek, Campbellton and the Name Fayetteville

NCpedia traces Fayetteville to 1755, when John Newberry, a Quaker millwright from Pennsylvania, settled at Cross Creek. The county courthouse, though, sat in Campbellton, a mile away on the river, so the area grew as two rival settlements (NCpedia). In 1783 a committee of the state legislature laid out the unplanned village with straight streets and renamed it Fayetteville, "the first place in North America named in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette" (NCpedia).

Lafayette saw his namesake town in 1825 during his grand tour, and the Fayetteville Independent Light Infantry marched as his escort (BizFayetteville). Today the Marquis de Lafayette statue in Cross Creek Park and the Fayetteville Independent Light Infantry Armory, where the carriage Lafayette rode in has been shown (BizFayetteville), keep that visit in view.

The 1789 Constitution Convention

Fayetteville competed to become the state capital. In 1778 the town built a brick State House to hold the General Assembly if it won (N.C. DNCR marker). Between November 16 and 23, 1789, a second state convention met there and ratified the federal Constitution on November 21, making North Carolina the 12th state (N.C. DNCR marker). The same year, a legislative session in town chartered the University of North Carolina (NCpedia). The General Assembly moved permanently in 1793, ending Fayetteville's run as a meeting place (N.C. DNCR marker).

Cool Spring Tavern, built in 1788 by Dolphin Davis, still stands downtown as the city's oldest building (Clio).

The 1831 Fire and the Market House

The State House survived until 1831, when a fire destroyed it along with about 600 houses and Fayetteville Academy (N.C. DNCR marker). The town rebuilt on the same site, and the Old Town Hall, better known as the Market House, was complete by 1832 (N.C. DNCR marker). The National Park Service lists it as a National Historic Landmark designated November 7, 1973 (NPS).

The Market House also carries a painful history: enslaved people were sold there in the 1800s (CityView). After the building was set on fire during May 2020 protests, the City Council chose to repurpose rather than remove it and approved a repurposing plan in 2022. Structural work funded by a $1.5 million state grant began in May 2025, with completion expected in fall 2026 (CityView). Visit the Market House listing before you go downtown.

The Arsenal and 1865

The U.S. Arsenal at Fayetteville was built in 1838 on Haymount, overlooking the town (N.C. DNCR). After North Carolina seized it, the arsenal was surrendered on April 22, 1861, and transferred to the Confederacy, where it produced rifles, ammunition and gun carriages. Improvements under Samuel A. Ashe in 1863 grew it to almost 500 buildings (N.C. DNCR).

Sherman's army reached Fayetteville in March 1865. Personnel and equipment had been evacuated the day before, and on March 12, 1865, Union troops destroyed the arsenal; the 1862 Arsenal House is its only surviving structure (N.C. DNCR). The foundations now sit in Arsenal Park, part of the Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex. The surrounding hilltop neighborhood is covered in our Haymount Historic District guide.

The 1897 Poe House

The Poe House, part of the same museum complex at 801 Arsenal Ave., was the 1897 family home of local business owner E. A. Poe (N.C. DNCR). It has no connection to the writer Edgar Allan Poe. The house is shown by guided tour only: Tuesday through Friday at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., and Saturday on the hour from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Museum of the Cape Fear). Regular admission to the complex is free (N.C. DNCR).

Seasonal programs in 2026 include Hallowe'en Revels night tours on October 16, 17, 29 and 30 ($10), a free Trick or Treat at the Poe House on October 24, a free Holiday Jubilee on December 6 and Holiday Theatrical Night Tours on December 11, 12, 18 and 19 ($10) (N.C. DNCR). Groups of 15 or more must reserve a Poe House tour at least two weeks ahead (Museum of the Cape Fear).

Fort Bragg: From Camp Bragg to Today

Camp Bragg, named for North Carolina native Gen. Braxton Bragg, was established on September 4, 1918, and was redesignated Fort Bragg in September 1922 (Fort Bragg tour guide). The Army acquired more than 100,000 acres of nearby pine woods and farmland for it (NCpedia).

The post's name changed twice in recent years:

• June 2, 2023: Fort Bragg was redesignated Fort Liberty at the Main Post Flagpole (U.S. Army).
• March 7, 2025: Fort Liberty was redesignated Fort Bragg, this time honoring Pfc. Roland L. Bragg, a World War II paratrooper who earned the Silver Star in the Battle of the Bulge (DVIDS).

The installation is again Fort Bragg. For its museums, see our Airborne & Special Operations Museum guide and Fort Bragg visitor access guide.

Historic Sites to Visit

Site	Era it represents	Listing
Cool Spring Tavern	1788, Constitution era	Cool Spring Tavern
Market House	1832, post-fire rebuilding	The Market House
FILI Armory	Militia history, Lafayette's 1825 visit	FILI Armory
Arsenal Park and Poe House	1838-1865 arsenal; 1897 home	Museum of the Cape Fear
Lafayette statue	Town's namesake	Lafayette statue

A walking loop can link the Market House, Cool Spring Tavern and the FILI Armory downtown, then continue by car to Arsenal Avenue. Pair it with our downtown Fayetteville guide and things to do in Fayetteville.