Fayetteville National Cemetery

Story

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 15acre and as of April 2017, had 9,830 interments.HistoryThe 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 and the Battle of Pea Ridge. By 1871 there were 1,200 interments made in the cemetery, most of which were unidentified.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 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.