Fayetteville National Cemetery is a

United States National Cemetery The United States National Cemetery System is a system of 164 military cemeteries in the United States and its territories. The authority to create military burial places came during the American Civil War, in an act passed by the U.S. ...

located on the southern side of the city of

Fayetteville Fayetteville may refer to: *Fayetteville, Alabama *Fayetteville, Arkansas ** The Fayetteville Formation *Fayetteville, Georgia *Fayetteville, Illinois *Fayetteville, Indiana *Fayetteville, Washington County, Indiana *Fayetteville, Missouri *Fayette ...

Washington County, Arkansas Washington County is a regional economic, educational, and cultural hub in the Northwest Arkansas region. Created as Arkansas's 17th County (United States), county on November 30, 1848, Washington County has 13 incorporated municipalities, inc ...

. It encompasses nearly . 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 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 The Battle of Prairie Grove was a battle of the American Civil War fought on December 7, 1862. While tactically indecisive, the battle secured the Union control of northwestern Arkansas. A division of Union troops in the Army of the Fronti ...

and the

Battle of Pea Ridge The Battle of Pea Ridge (March 7–8, 1862), also known as the Battle of Elkhorn Tavern, took place during the American Civil War near Leetown, Arkansas, Leetown, northeast of Fayetteville, Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas. United States, Feder ...

. By 1871 there were 1,200 interments made in the cemetery, most of which were unidentified. Plan of Fayetteville National Cemetery 1892

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

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 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 The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

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 The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the president to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

recipients.

Notable interments

* Clarence B. Craft (1921–2002),

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

recipient for action at Hen Hill, Okinawa in 1945 *

Vance Randolph Vance Randolph (February 23, 1892 – November 1, 1980) was a folklorist who studied the folklore of the Ozarks in particular. He wrote a number of books on the Ozarks, as well as '' Little Blue Books'' and juvenile fiction. Early life Randolph ...

(1892–1980), noted Ozarks folklorist and author

References

External links

National Cemetery Administration

Fayetteville National Cemetery

Fayetteville National Cemetery
at ''

Encyclopedia of Arkansas The Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) ''Encyclopedia of Arkansas'' is a web-based encyclopedia of the U.S. state of Arkansas, described by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as "a free, authoritative source of information abo ...

''
Fayetteville National Cemetery List of Burials

Regional National Cemetery Improvement Corp.
* * * * {{National Register of Historic Places Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in Arkansas United States national cemeteries Protected areas of Washington County, Arkansas Historic American Buildings Survey in Arkansas Historic American Landscapes Survey in Arkansas Tourist attractions in Fayetteville, Arkansas National Register of Historic Places in Fayetteville, Arkansas 1867 establishments in Arkansas Cemeteries established in the 1860s

History

Notable monuments

Notable interments

See also

References

External links