Fairview Cemetery - Van Buren, AR - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

Fairview Cemetery, the oldest public city cemetery in Van Buren and Crawford County, Arkansas, is the final resting place of early prominent settlers, judges, politicians, recorded but unmarked African-American slave graves, and a Confederate Section. Over the years it has grown to the point that there are currently almost 3000 graves in the cemetery.

While the first burial at this location took place in 1816, it wasn't until 1837 that one of the founders of Van Buren, John Drennen, donated the land that would become Fairview Cemetery in the new town of Van Buren. A plaque on the old iron gates to the cemetery reads: This cemetery was given to Van Buren by Col. John Drennen, A.D. 1837./

According to the NRHP nomination form, the cemetery wasn't officially established until 1846. Ornate iron gates mark the historic entrance to the cemetery and just inside is a carriage mounting block made of scrolled wrought iron and wooden planks. Cedar and oak trees dot the cemetery, which has numerous Victorian-era and Egyptian Revival-influenced markers ranging from columns, urns, obelisks and massive monuments to understated tablets.

Source

There is a bronze historical marker at the cemetery which reads:

Fairview Cemetery

The Battle of Prairie Grove was a grim moment for the Confederate Army. This conflict severed all chances for the South to use Northwest Arkansas as a route to invade Missouri. The shattered and defeated soldiers retreated from Prairie Grove to Van Buren. Fairview Cemetery was a witness to wagons and ambulances making their way down the hill as the Confederate Army desperately ran from the Union Soldiers. It was at this same site that cannons were lined up to shell the community of Van Buren. Over 400 unknown Confederate Soldiers are buried in Fairview Cemetery including some who fought and died in this battle. A marble memorial to the brave soldiers who gave their lives in The War Between the States is located in the northeast corner of the cemetery.

Street address: Poplar Street & Fayetteville Road Van Buren, Arkansas USA County / Borough / Parish: Crawford Year listed: 2005 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering Periods of significance: 1950-1974, 1925-1949, 1900-1924, 1875-1899, 1850-1874, 1825-1849, 1800-1824 Historic function: Funerary Current function: Funerary Privately owned?: no Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed Secondary Website 1: Not listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   01/09/2020 The Snowdog visited it 05/06/2018 azgoldseekers visited it 08/12/2012 Jffok visited it

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