Efforts to create a turn-of-the-century atmosphere and draw more shoppers and visitors to downtown Fayetteville are on a fast track now that the historic Holliday House has been purchased and a $1.2 million bond issue closed.

A growing army of volunteers is coalescing around the Holliday House and the city's other home restoration project, the Hollingsworth House.

The Holliday House Association, which has worked for years to preserve the historic landmark in hopes that the city would one day take over the project, will continue to work on its restoration and conversion to a museum and information center, said Sherri Anderson, director of Main Street Fayetteville.

"We're forming a steering committee to integrate the two groups [the association and Main Street] as well as plan the restoration," said Anderson. The association also will continue to coordinate the museum's educational functions, such as the upcoming Victorian Christmas activities, she added.

"Main Street is very grateful to have them do that," she said.

To get advice on how to proceed with restoration, Anderson will travel to Savannah Dec. 7 with Fayetteville Mayor Mike Wheat and Councilman Al Hovey-King to meet with restoration experts there.

Also, Anderson said she will invite Tommy Hart-Jones, master planner for the well-known Hay House restoration in Macon, to the next Main Street meeting Dec. 8. "This is an educational process for all of us," said Anderson.

Experts have advised restoring the house, which is connected to the family of famed gunman Doc Holliday, using National Register of Historic Places guidelines, she said.

Committees are forming to help restore the Hollingsworth House as well. The house recently was donated by First Baptist Church and moved to a site between the County Administrative Complex and the Board of Education on Stonewall Avenue.

A community outreach and recognition committee will arrange programs for local civic and other groups in attempts to stimulate donations, and will devise a system of recognition for those who do help out, said Anderson.

Linda Bryan, head of that committee, can be reached at 770-461-2742 to arrange programs.

Barbara Pearson will head a committee in charge of interior design. "They're soliciting donations of late Victorian furnishings," said Anderson. Pearson can be reached at 770-460-3300.

Anderson also has been meeting with an area lighting firm to design lighting for the house.

"We're finally making real visible progress" on the exterior renovation of the Hollingsworth House, Anderson said.

Workers are removing the vinyl siding from the house, "and we're delighted to find the wood underneath in such good shape," she added.

Crews also have begun putting a new roof on the house, she said.

A landscape architectural firm, appropriately named Hollingsworth Landscape, is working on designs for landscaping around the restoration, Anderson said, and also is helping with a new Main Street project.

Plans are to develop landscaping for road medians at major entrances to the city, including the green areas where Ga. Highway 54 splits on the east and west sides of downtown, at the point where Ga. highways 314 and 85 come together on the north side, and at Hwy. 85 and Beauregard Boulevard on the south side. The south side will have to wait until later, though, because there are plans to widen Hwy. 85 at that point.

An volunteer helped arrange the painting of an attractive sign on the west side of 54 as an Eagle Scout project, Anderson said, and along with landscaping that spot, she hopes to encourage similar sign projects at other entry points. "If we get the word out, maybe another Eagle Scout will put his hand up," she said.