Fayetteville National Cemetery

Fayetteville National Cemetery
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Cemetery entrance on Government Avenue
Location in Arkansas Location in United States
Location	700 Government Ave., Fayetteville, Arkansas
Coordinates	36°03′10″N 94°10′07″W
Area	11.6 acres (4.7 ha)
Built	1867
MPS	Civil War Era National Cemeteries MPS
NRHP reference No.	99000892
Added to NRHP	July 28, 1999

Fayetteville National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located on the southern side of the city of Fayetteville in Washington County, Arkansas. It encompasses nearly 15 acres (6.1 ha). As of 2020, over 11,000 veterans and family members were interred in this location, with approximately 200 new burials per year.

History

The original plot of 6 acres (2.4 ha) of land for the National Cemetery was purchased in 1867 from Judge David Walker and Stephen Stone, names also associated with the historic Walker-Stone House in Fayetteville. The original layout was of an outer circle surrounding a six-pointed star with diamonds between the points of the star and a flagpole in the center. There were eighteen sections with an estimated capacity of 1,800 graves. The first interments were remains moved from battlefield cemeteries of the Battle of Prairie Grove and the Battle of Pea Ridge. By 1871 there were 1,200 interments made in the cemetery, most of which were unidentified.

Layout of Fayetteville National Cemetery – 1892

During World War II the cemetery was enlarged, the layout was revised, and five more sections were added.

In 1989, the Regional National Cemetery Improvement Corporation (RNCIC – a group of locals, veterans, and other concerned benefactors) raised enough money to purchase an additional 3 acres (1.2 ha) of land, and donated it to the cemetery. The group continued their efforts over the years and donated numerous plots of land. In their latest and largest donation they donated 2.3 acres in ceremonies at the National Cemetery on November 9, 2013.

Fayetteville National Cemetery was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 28, 1999.

Notable monuments

• The Revolutionary War Soldier Memorial, erected in the early 1990s.
• The Purple Heart Memorial, erected in 2000 to honor Purple Heart recipients.

Notable interments

• Clarence B. Craft (1921–2002), Medal of Honor recipient for action at Hen Hill, Okinawa in 1945
• Vance Randolph (1892–1980), noted Ozarks folklorist and author

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Washington County, Arkansas
• List of cemeteries in Arkansas

External links

Media related to Fayetteville National Cemetery at Wikimedia Commons

• National Cemetery Administration
• Fayetteville National Cemetery
• Fayetteville National Cemetery at Encyclopedia of Arkansas
• Fayetteville National Cemetery List of Burials
• Regional National Cemetery Improvement Corp.
• Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. AR-39-A, "Fayetteville National Cemetery, Superintendent's Lodge, 700 Government Avenue, Fayetteville, Washington County, AR", 8 photos, 1 photo caption page
• Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS) No. AR-1, "Fayetteville National Cemetery, 700 Government Avenue, Fayetteville, Washington County, AR", 36 photos, 3 photo caption pages
• U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Fayetteville National Cemetery
• Fayetteville National Cemetery at Find a Grave