FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Even a glance at Charles Alison and Ellen Compton’s new pictorial history of Fayetteville makes one thing clear: the town square has long been where residents and visitors alike have gone to sell or be sold to, do official business, see a spectacle or make spectacles of themselves.

 Alison, manager of special projects at the University of Arkansas office of university relations and Compton, a longtime stalwart of the special collections department at the university of Libraries, will offer a walking tour of the Fayetteville Square on the evening of Tuesday, Oct.11 as part of the Washington County Historical Society’s 2011 lecture series.

The evening will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a reception in the lobby of the Bank of Fayetteville, at which Alison and Compton will sign copies of Fayetteville, newly released by Arcadia Publishing Company in its Images of America series. After brief remarks, they will then lead attendees around the square, describing its fascinating history and pointing out notable buildings and the sites of long-gone ones.

Alison and Compton produced Fayetteville, a compilation of more than 200 annotated historic photos, on behalf of the Washington County Historical Society. All proceeds from sales of the book benefit the society. Alison is editor of Flashback, the Washington County Historical Society’s journal of local history, and maintains a website dedicated to Fayetteville’s past.

Everyone with an interest in Fayetteville and a pair of comfortable shoes is encouraged to gather at the Bank of Fayetteville — on the Square at the corner of Block and Center streets. The reception and tour are free, and door prizes will be awarded.

The Washington County Historical Society, which is the oldest local history organization in the state, sponsors programs that draw attention to the rich heritage of Northwest Arkansas.

The final event in this year’s lecture series will address the Civil War in Northwest Arkansas, and be held Nov.1 at the Fayetteville Public Library.

For more information, contact the Washington County Historical Society at 118 East Dickson Street, Fayetteville, AR 72701-4207, 479-521-2970, www.washcohistoricalsociety.org, info@washcohistoricalsociety.org.