St. Martin's Catholic Church

The world's smallest Catholic church, St. Martin's celebrates mass on a monthly basis inside the 192-square-foot church, which holds six rows of pews that can accommodate 20 people. If the need arises, members of St. Martin’s parish can also attend two other, larger churches in Fayetteville, which is approximately 12 miles away. According to its history, at one time there was a much larger church in its place, which went by the same name. It was built in 1888 as a mission of St. John the Baptist Church of Fayetteville. When the population of the area began to shift toward an urban setting, church attendance fell, and in 1915, the original St. Martin’s church was dismantled to allow for the construction of a school building in Fayetteville, using its lumber. With remainders that were salvaged from the school building project, parishioners constructed the tiny church, which continues to overlook the original St. Martin’s cemetery. Descendants of those buried there attend an annual memorial service for All Soul’s Day.