Fayetteville in Cumberland County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Cross Creek Cemetery
Confederate Burial Grounds
This is the oldest public cemetery in Fayetteville, begun in 1785. Mrs. Anne K. Kyle, who served as a nurse in the hospital here during the Civil War, established the Confederate Burial Ground soon after Union Gen. William T. Sherman and his army left Fayetteville in March 1865. She and Fayetteville Mayor Archibald McLean selected a spot in the back section of the cemetery overlooking Cross Creek to inter the soldiers. The Rev. Joseph C. Huske of St. John's Episcopal Church officiated at a mass burial here later in the spring.
After the war, Mrs. Kyle and a group of Fayetteville women worked together to erect a monument to the memory of the Confederate dead. Raffling a home-made silk quilt raised funds, as many tickets were sold for a dollar each. The monument was erected in 1868 and is the oldest Confederate monument in North Carolina.
The monument is the work of George Lauder, the most productive stonecutter in North Carolina during the nineteenth century. Lauder, a native of Scotland, also worked on the State Capitol in Raleigh and at the Fayetteville Arsenal, before opening his own marble yard in Fayetteville in 1845. Late in the 1860s, John R. Tolar dedicated another memorial in this section to his father and eight uncles who were killed or disabled during the war. In addition to the Confederate dead, many other Civil War veterans, Southern and Northern, are interred in this part of the cemetery.
Erected by North Carolina Civil War Trails.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the North Carolina Civil War Trails series list. A significant historical month for this entry is March 1865.
Location. 35° 3.275′ N, 78° 52.418′ W. Marker is in Fayetteville, North Carolina, in Cumberland County. Marker is on Cool Spring Street, on the left when traveling south. Marker is along the western boundary of Cross Creek Cemetery, about 400 feet north of Evans Metropolitan AME Zion Church. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Fayetteville NC 28301, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Warren Winslow (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Parade Ground (about 500 feet away); The Fayetteville Independent Light Infantry Company (about 500 feet away); Cross Creek Linear Park (about 700 feet away); Flora Macdonald (approx. 0.2 miles away); Henry Evans (approx. ¼ mile away); First Presbyterian Church (approx. ¼ mile away); Liberty Point Declaration of Independence (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fayetteville.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 28, 2019. It was originally submitted on May 20, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 1,616 times since then and 28 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on May 20, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.