New Fayetteville Section Now Online

A new section exploring the history, historic sites and natural wonders in and around the beautiful Northwest Arkansas city of Fayetteville is now online.

To visit, please click www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fayetteville.

Consistently ranked as one of the top ten places in America to live and work, Fayetteville is a charming and progressive city located on a plateau surrounded by the beautiful Ozark mountains. Founded in 1828 and incorporated in 1836, it is the home of the University of Arkansas and sits in one of the most historic regions of the South.

During the Civil War, major engagements were fought within 30 miles of Fayetteville. The Battle of Pea Ridge, to the north, was one of the largest encounters of the war to that point when it took place on March 7-8, 1862. It was followed on December 7th of that same year by the Battle of Prairie Grove. Both battlefields are now beautifully preserved park areas within easy access of the city.

Other historic sites in and around the city include the site of the Battle of Fayetteville, numerous historic homes and structures, the Confederate and National cemeteries, Devil's Den State Park and the Cane Hill battlefield.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fayetteville.

Devil's Den State Park - West Fork, Arkansas

Located in the Boston Mountains, a rugged and picturesque area of the Ozarks south of the Arkansas city of Fayetteville, Devil's Den State Park preserves an array of historic sites and natural wonders.

Built by C.C.C. (Civilian Conservation Corps) workers during the Great Depression, the park includes the largest sandstone crevice area in the United States. Accessible via a 1 1/2 mile nature trail, the area includes fracture caves, bluffs, rock formations and wet weather waterfalls. One of the caves, Devil's Den Cave, is more than 500 feet long and is one of the largest fracture caves in the United States.

The park also preserves a section of the historic Butterfield Stage Line route that connected St. Louis with San Francisco from 1858 to 1861. Stagecoaches once ran along the old road, which is now followed by a nature trail, carrying mail and passengers on the more than 2,000 mile journey to California.

Union and Confederate forces marched along the same road during the Civil War and guerrilla bands hid out in the surrounding mountains throughout the brutal war and Reconstruction years.

Considered one of the best preserved C.C.C. projects in the nation, Devil's Den State Park also offers cabins, picnic areas, hiking trails, overlooks, a visitor center, mountain lake, waterfalls, butterfly garden, swimming pool and numerous other features. To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/ardevils1.

Waterfalls of the Cheaha State Park Area - Alabama

The Talladega Mountains of Alabama are rich in scenic beauty, particularly in the area around Cheaha State Park.

These mountains are the highest in Alabama and offer a variety of historic sites, hiking opportunities, scenic vistas and other features rarely found so deep in the South.

Of particular interest to many visitors is the array of waterfalls found in the area immediately surrounding Mt. Cheaha. Three of these - Cheaha Falls (seen here), High Falls and Devil's Den - can be accessed via hiking trails and are relatively easy to reach.

To learn more about these falls, see additional photos and obtain directions to them from Cheaha State Park, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/cheaha2.