A Patch of Dirt and a Piece of Paper: A Letter from Fayette’s Past

“I will either sell or buy your part.”

Pull up a chair, folks, and let me share a little piece of our town’s history that just came across my desk. This handwritten note, dated way back to May 21st, 1890, was sent from J.W. Davis to Mr. Laban T. Gwinn right here in Fayette Court House. It tells a short but fascinating story about fifty acres of land. It seems that land was originally handed over to a lawyer, Major J.H. McGuire, as a fee for a legal battle known as the White-Gwinn lawsuit. By the time this letter was written, Mr. Davis had bought that interest and was reaching out to Mr. Gwinn with a simple, neighborly proposition: he was ready to either buy out Gwinn’s share or sell his own to settle the matter once and for all.

Looking at the letter today, you can feel the passage of the last hundred and thirty years. The paper has aged into a beautiful, warm yellow, and it is quite delicate. You can see the deep creases where it was folded up long ago, with a bit of tearing starting to show along those lines. There is a sharp red margin line drawn down the right side of the page, which really stands out against the old ink. It is a fragile thing, but it is a tangible link to the people who walked these same streets long before us.

In the grand scheme of things, a fifty-acre land deal might seem small, but it reminds us of what life was like in post-Reconstruction Alabama. Land was not just dirt; it was currency, legacy, and a way to settle debts. This letter shows us the personal side of the law and the direct way neighbors used to talk to one another to get things done. It teaches us that history is not just found in textbooks about wars or presidents; it is hidden in the quiet, honest dealings of everyday people trying to make a life on the land they loved.

Original Transcription

Fayette C.H. Ala.
May 21st 1890.

Mr Laban T. Gwinn:
I have bought the fifty
acres of land that you gave Maj.
J.H. McGuimp as a fee in the White

• Gwinn Suit. I will either sell or
  buy your part. most truly
  Yours. J.W. Davis.

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