John Lynch named official Fayetteville historian

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

John Lynch vividly remembers when he first got hooked on history.

He was in fourth or fifth grade and his teacher brought in several large gray books and began reading some names. He recognized a few of the names, who were family members.

The teacher informed the class all those people had served in the Civil War. And so began a lifelong joy of historical research.

"I just loved digging into it," Lynch said of researching his relatives' backgrounds. "I'm sort of what you'd call a relic hunter, I guess."

Lynch was president of the Fayette County Historical Society by the time he was 25. He's written a book about his ancestors during the Civil War when his great-great grandfather wrote letters to his wife, instructing her how to keep the family farm going.

And just recently, Lynch was named the City of Fayetteville's official historian.

Now he presides over the Holliday-Dorsey-Fife house, which was once a boarding house for students and now serves as Fayetteville's museum, chock full of photos and relics from many years past.

The museum features four rooms with different themes:

Gone With the Wind, about the famous book and later movie from Margaret Mitchell that featured main character Scarlett O'Hara going to an academy in Fayetteville.

The War Between the States, featuring relics, uniforms, weaponry and the stories of many Confederate soldiers with Fayette ties.

Fayette County and Fayetteville History, featuring photos depicting the area's rich rural history and a copy of the city's first newspaper, The Fayetteville Advertiser.

Family History, which details the three families who owned the house in historical times and how they impacted the city and county.

Lynch doesn't mind taking on the role of city historian, since it goes hand-in-hand with his role at the museum, which also involves providing information about the various families represented at the old city cemetery.

As a life-long native, he performed extensive research on Fayette's role in the Civil War to make sure it would be preserved for future generations. Until his research, the skirmishes here weren't well-documented for history's sake.

Lynch set off on that task after reading just a few paragraphs related to the Civil War in a historical book on the county courthouse. The account, however, noted that an attorney managed to convince Union soldiers not to destroy the county's courthouse.

"That's how legends are made," Lynch noted with a smile.

Lynch is proud of the museum, which is located on West Lanier Avenue and had its grand opening last weekend.

"Everybody seemed to have a good time," he said.

The museum's hours haven't been set yet, but it will be open Saturday and Sunday in conjunction with the annual Courthouse Art Show.