Evergreen Cemetery, Fayetteville Arkansas

Date added: October 10, 2024

Categories:
Arkansas
Cemetery

Do you have an update on the current status of this structure? Please tell us about it in the comments below.

The Evergreen Cemetery cemetery includes the graves of many of the important residents of Fayetteville, several of whom have gone on to achieve national recognition. As Fayetteville's first public burial place and perhaps its largest, Evergreen Cemetery is the single and most inclusive site from which to interpret the multifarious past of this community.

The first interments at Evergreen Cemetery occurred less than twenty years after Fayetteville was founded. When Washington County was organized in 1828, Fayetteville was beginning as a town and the first business was erected on the square in 1830. It was not until February 27^th, 1835 that a patent was issued for the town site of Fayetteville, and people began purchasing lots and opening businesses. By 1852, Fayetteville had 600 residents, and Arkansas College had a healthy enrollment of men from many areas of the state and beyond. There was also a female seminary in town which was founded by a Miss Sawyer. A town council was elected in 1852 to oversee the management of a town which by now included the following: six dry-goods stores, two grocery stores, two saloons, two hotels, three blacksmith shops, two wagon shops, one saddlery shop, two tailor shops, and one cabinet shop The first drug store opened in 1854. In 1860 Fayetteville was connected to the rest of the world via telegraph. Colonel J. R. Pettigrew sent the first message from Fayetteville to the mayor of St. Louis on a Stebbins Telegraph Company line.

What is now the University of Arkansas opened its doors in 1871, and the St. Louis & San Francisco railroad was completed about the same time. In 1887, Fayetteville had about 4,000 inhabitants and was booming as a business community with approximately a million and a half dollars worth of business conducted in that year. A year later, the Fayetteville Electric Light and Power Company began to offer services. At this point, Fayetteville could offer all of the amenities found in any other town in the state.

Although the first known private burial place is the Walker Cemetery which contains an interment dating from 1838, the earliest burials at the Evergreen Cemetery were in the 1840s. Evergreen was the first public cemetery in the town, and is located on land that was originally part of a farm owned by John Thomas which functioned as his private family burial ground. John Thomas came to Fayetteville from Missouri, and in 1846 enlisted in the war in Mexico. After returning to Fayetteville, he married Harriet E. Wilson on March 5^th, 1849. Harriet was the daughter of Washington Wilson, a dry goods business owner and charter member of the Masonic Lodge in 1835. John and Harriet Thomas began life together and lived in a house located approximately a quarter-mile from the current cemetery on Dickson Street where the "Frisco" depot stands today.

Mrs. Frank Wagner, daughter of John Thomas stated in an interview with Mrs. Homer Pearson, secretary of the Evergreen Cemetery Association on August 25^th, 1935.

As I told you that cemetery was started by the burial of my parents' first-born babe. A part of that land was their home, and they used that home as a family resting place for their dead. Later, my father's sister, Mrs. Milissa [sic] Pulliam, was buried there, and as the years passed, my parents buried four more little boys and a baby girl. One of the boys was shot accidentally while on a hunting trip by a neighbor and a close friend of my father's. Two of the boys died within two days of each other, of spinal meningitis. Last of our loved ones to be placed on our plot was my mother, in October 1876. But before her passing she and my father had given quite a strip of land there to be used by others as a burial ground. Previously they had permitted two other burials on their ground. I feel now that one of those was the little Pollard grave.

Two of the earliest graves were George Thomas Stirman (b.1842-d.1847), a Thomas child, and Mary Stirman Pollard (b.1844-d.1848). The first adult buried at what is now Evergreen Cemetery was Melissa Thomas Pulliam (b.1821-d.1849), John Thomas' sister. The inscription on Melissa Pulliam's stone reads, "consort of R. P. Pulliam, who departed this life April 11^th, 1849, aged 28 yr's, 4 mo's, 30 da's." At some point, the Thomas' burial place became open for public burials, making it the first public burial place in Fayetteville. Mrs. Wagner also noted that the land for the Evergreen Cemetery may also have been donated by the Masons and Odd Fellows, two organizations that held burial plots not far from her father's land. It is on record that In 1871 the Evergreen Cemetery was deeded to the city of Fayetteville by the AF&AM (free and accepted masons and mountain lodge) and the IOOF (independent order of odd fellows). Thus, it would seem that both the family and these organizations held this land until 1871.

One the most significant individuals buried at Evergreen Cemetery is Archibald Yell, a North Carolina native who gained national fame as a statesman, soldier and adventurer. The inscription on his monument reads, "Archibald Yell Born in Carolina Aug. 1797. A volunteer at the battle of New Orleans. District Judge of Ark. Territory. 1832. First member of congress from the State. Governor 1840. Elected to Congress again 1844. Resigned and accepted Colonelcy of Ark Vols. Killed at Buena Vista, Feb. 22^nd, 1847. A gallant soldier-an upright judge a fear-less champion of popular rights a Sincere friend an honest man." A teen-aged volunteer at the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812, Yell became the federal district judge for Arkansas Territory at the age of 35. After serving two terms in the House of Representatives of the United States Congress, Archibald Yell served two terms as the second Governor of Arkansas in 1839. Yell was to become a soldier once again, and led a group of Arkansas volunteers to serve as colonel with General Zachary Taylor in the battle against the armies of Santa Anna in northern Mexico. It was on the battlefields of Mexico that Yell met his death in a calvary charge on February 23^rd, 1847 at age 50. Although Yell is traditionally viewed as a war hero and politician, William Hughes, author of Archibald Yell, comments on Yell's visionary views regarding public education. An avid supporter of developing an outstanding educational system here in Arkansas and elsewhere in the country, Yell envisioned a system of publicly-supported state universities twenty-three years before Senator Justin Morrill was able to procure Congressional and Presidential approval to establish this plan in 1865. Governor Archibald Yell commented in 1842:

With a view to perpetuate our happy form of government, and to advance the great interest of the laboring classes, industry and education should in some way be interwoven; and I know of no mode better calculated to suit the conditions and character of our people than agricultural schools based upon federal donation of the general government.

With this dedication to, and appreciation of, a public education system, it is apt that Archibald Yell is buried next to the University of Arkansas campus. Yell's body was moved to its present site from the family cemetery at Waxhaws on South College Avenue on November 2^nd, 1872. The Yell lot (Lot 24, Block 2) also contains the remains of H. J. Yell, Mary Yell, May C. Yell, and D. W. C. Yell (b. 1831-d.1861).

Another Fayetteville resident associated with the University of Arkansas, and buried near the Yell plot, is Lafayette Gregg (b.1827-d. 1891) who led the bond issue campaign to promote the location of Arkansas's University at Fayetteville rather than the competing towns of Batesville and Little Rock. A member of the first Board of Trustees of the University of Arkansas, Gregg had a role in the construction of Old Main which remains one of the most significant buildings in the state. As a soldier, Colonel Gregg was also well known as an advocate of the Union cause in the Civil War, leading the Arkansas Calvary Volunteers. He is buried in a large family plot in the north central area of the cemetery. The Gregg Monument has the following text on the west side: "L. GREGG. WAS COL. 4TH REGT. ARKS. FED'L. CAVL'Y. VOLS. WAR OF 1861 AND A JUDGE OF THE STATE CHANCERY COURT AND STATE SUPREME COURT" The south side reads as follows: "LAFAYETTE GREGG AND MARY A. SHREVE WERE MARRIED DEC. 21ST 1852. AND THEY HAD 4 SONS AND 2 DAUGHTERS."

John C. Futrall (b. 1873-d. 1939), is buried in a plot at the center of the cemetery and is best known for his position as the President of the University for twenty-five years before he was succeeded by J. William Fulbright. John Futrall's wife, Annie D. (b. 1872-d. 1964), for whom Futrall Hall on the University campus is named, was well known for welcoming interested parties into her home to show them the teaching certificate that John was awarded at age nine. A mathematical genius, John taught from a very early age and spent the majority of his life in education. Another educator buried at the cemetery is Walt Lemke (b. 1891-d. 1968) who was the head of the Journalism Department for many years and founder of the Washington County Historical Society. Other educators interred at Evergreen include Sophia Sawyer, Noah P. Gates, and John L. Buchanan.

Two of the most interesting graves associated with students are those of Talliaferro Bostick and S.C. Finley. Bostick's square, pillar-shaped monument features the Latin inscription "Talliaferro Bostick, Discipulus Ingentio ae Labore insignis Obit IX Kal. Nov. A.D. MDCCCLVI [1856] Annos Natus XX," which bears evidence of his commitment to his studies at old Arkansas College. Another student buried at Evergreen Cemetery is S C. Finley who died in 1878 at age 18. Finley's inscription reads, "In token of their appreciation of his noble character and bearing, his classmates of the sub-Freshman class of the A.I.U. have erected this monument."

The grave markers at Evergreen Cemetery represent most of the wars America has been involved in, with war heros such as Alexander Spotswood Vandeventer whose monument reads, "Alexander Spotswood Vandeventer - Born Near Jonesboro in Lee County, Virginia, Colonel, 50^th Virginia Regiment, Confederate Army. At age 22, He was made Brevet Brigadier General during the Battle Of Chancellorville and was cited by Robert E. Lee for Extraordinary Valor." Other Civil War soldiers buried at Evergreen Cemetery include Major T. J. Hunt, a federal officer of the war, and Lieutenant George S. Albright who fought the Union soldiers at Fayetteville. Colonel Elias Chandler, who led the First Arkansas Regiment in the Spanish-American War is buried in the northeast burial section, and Charles and Jack Tidball, brothers who gave their lives in the last days of World War I, are buried in the same area.

Evergreen Cemetery includes the graves of several notable congressmen: Thomas Montague Gunter who served from 1872 to 1882, Hugh A. Dinsmore who was a congressman for ten years and minister to Korea under President Cleveland, and John N. Tillman who served fourteen years as a congressman and was a President of the University of Arkansas. The most renowned United States Senator from Arkansas is undoubtedly J. William Fulbright (b.1905-d. 1995). The Fulbright plot is located at the northern end of the cemetery, and is relatively hidden at the western corner. J. William Fulbright, United States Senator and inspirational force behind the creation of the United Nations and the Fulbright Student Exchange Program, lies near his mother Roberta Fulbright a strong woman who challenged the governor and the political establishment of Arkansas to see her son elected to the U.S. Senate. J. William Fulbright's first wife, Elizabeth W. (b. 1906-d. 1985) lies next to him.

The medical profession is represented at Evergreen Cemetery by the following significant local doctors: W. B. Welch, T. J. Pollard, H. D. Wood, and W. N. Adeste. Citizens buried at the cemetery who helped establish the banking services in Fayetteville include William McIlloy (b. 1866-d. 1894) and Stephen K. Stone. Prominent builders buried at the site are W. Zera Mayes and Albert M. Byrnes. Peter VanWinkle (b. 1814-d. 1882), the first lumber king of northwest Arkansas, is buried here also. Internationally known modern architect Edward Durrell Stone, an Arkansas native, is also buried here. W. S. Campbell (b.1873-d.1960), author of One Hundred Years of Fayetteville: 1828-1928, is also buried at Evergreen.

The Evergreen Cemetery Association was formed in 1915, and has a record of the burials since that date. Records of interments before 1915 were kept by the sexton or the two controlling fraternal organizations. Evergreen Cemetery is rarely used for interments today.

Site Description

Fayetteville's Evergreen Cemetery is approximately four-and-one-half acres in size and contains approximately 3000 known burials. The earliest public cemetery in the city of Fayetteville, the Evergreen Cemetery contains grave markers and monuments in a variety of different types and styles. The cemetery contains approximately four sections which are separated by unpaved roadways. The cemetery is located on the side of a sloping hill that begins at the northern boundary of the cemetery and runs south.

Details

The Evergreen Cemetery is roughly four-and-one-half acres in size. Tt is bounded on the south by Center Street, on the east by University, on the north by William Street, and on the west by a boundary established by the discontinuous path of Hill Avenue. The cemetery itself is sited on a hill that runs north-south. The four burial "sections" are divided by unpaved avenues that provide access to each section. The cemetery once had wide Carriage drives running east to west, which were sold as plots when the horse and carriage became obsolete. For this reason, some of the oldest areas of the cemetery may contain bands of much more recent graves. The earliest graves on the site are those of Melissa Pulliam (b.1821-d.1849), George Thomas Stirman (b.1842-d.1847) and Mary Elizabeth Pollard (b.1844-d. 1848).

While the Pollard grave has a rough fieldstone grave of the type that was common in the 1840's, and is thought to be original, the other stones were probably replaced at some point.

Noteworthy among the artistic grave markers is the Gregg monument-a large obelisk-shaped zinc monument featuring elaborate detailing which includes columns, arches, and a lyre. The Yell monument is also obelisk-like in form, although much simpler than the Gregg monument. Faced in white marble, the Yell marker contains little detail with the primary ornamentation being the inscriptions themselves. The Van Winkle monument is also obelisk-shaped, and features a raised swag of flowers at the top, and a Masonic emblem is also cast into the tombstone on one side.

One of the most noticeable markers in the cemetery is located at the center of the Byrnes plot. This cast stone monument is large and cruciform in shape with a rusticated finish. Like most of the older burial plots, the Byrnes monument is located at the northern end of the cemetery and can be seen from most points in the cemetery. Other remarkable monuments include the Vandeventer gravestone which is large, horizontal and rectangular in form. It features engraved stylized flutes and geometric floral patterns. Another rectangular, tabular monument is the Evins stone which is comprised of a simple tablet shape flanked by a large simple cylindrical form at each of the four corners. The names of Arthur A. (b. 1835--d.1920) and Dorothy Jane Evins (b.1847-d.1904) are inscribed into the front of the stone in an area that has been carved to resemble a sheet of paper.

The grave markers that have been described give evidence to the fact that the monuments in the cemetery vary greatly in both the type of material used and the designs employed. The Evergreen Cemetery contains approximately 3000 burials; it remains an active burial ground, though the vast majority of the graves are historic. The site also includes a small, caretaker's building.