Both Fayetteville and Fayette County are named for the Marquis De Lafayette, a French nobleman who aided Washington during the Revolutionary War. [1]The land for the town was purchased from Mr. James M. Post for $800. Mr. Larkin Bell laid out the town lots, and lot #20 was the first to be sold. It is now a parking lot across from the northeast corner of the courthouse. [2]It sold for $20 in 1823. A jail was built in 1824 and construction on the courthouse began in 1825 and finished in 1831. Soon after, several residences and businesses sprang up around the courthouse square. Lots were also set aside for churches and a cemetery.