"It was a very hot summer day, the late morning temperature was probably 95°F, still the speakers wore their white jackets and fedoras. There were as many as a hundred people in attendance—too many to fit under the tents set up for the day’s activities. The event was the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Cross Creek Linear Park, which is a walking trail of about 2.5 miles along the banks of Cross Creek, passing through historic parts of downtown Fayetteville, and then joining with the Cape Fear River. William Bartram was the guest of honor in absentia. A citizen’s group has been working for 12 years to make this park happen, and now, here it is. Harry Shaw presented the keynote address and was honored for his work in the
creation of Linear Park and acquiring the Bartram marker. His address concerned
the establishment of the park and the historic significance of the site, and Bartram’s visit. Local historian Bruce Daws spoke about William Bartram’s days as a young man in the area and his visits to what was then the settlements of Cross Creek and adjacent Campbellton (his uncle’s plantation was in neighboring Bladen County,just down the Cape Fear River). Other speakers were Dr. Ben McCoy, Mayor Pro Tem Kady-Ann Davy, and State Representative Rick Glazier. During the program Shaw was presented the Governor’s Order of the Long Leaf Pine award. The Bartram Trail marker was set up temporarily at the entrance to Linear Park for the unveiling and will be moved to a more visible, permanent location on Green Street in downtown Fayetteville. The eighty acre Cape Fear Botanical Garden is located almost within sight of the Cross Creek Cemetery. The director, Ry Southard, and staff are contemplating a Bartram walking path which would feature many area native plants Bartram identified in Travels. This path, within the botanical garden, includes the location where Bartram visited the confluence of Cross Creek and the Cape Fear River, an ideal location for a BTC marker. This is a beautiful park with a brand new $10 million office and education complex with a large assembly hall. William Bartram is still very popular in this town. As you can see from T.R. Henderson’s report, we are enjoying a revival of interest in marking the Bartram Trail. Thenew marker style introduced in 2011 bears William Bartram in bas relief, a sculpture based on his only known portrait that was painted by his friend Charles Willson Peale. But how do you get from a two-dimensional portrait to a three-dimensional sculpture? Enter Donna Weaver. Ms.Weaver and her husband revived the art of miniature bas-relief wax portraiture, which was popular in the United States between 1750 and 1840. Named one of Early American Life Magazine’s best artisans, Donna creates wax portraits judged to be of museum quality. She divides her time between sculpting the wax portraits, gallery exhibits, commissioned work, and participating in living history events from Virginia to Illinois. A native of Northern Kentucky, Donna pursued a Fine Arts degree at the Art Academy of Cincinnati where she studied sculpting, painting, and print-making, graduating in 1966. She worked for several area toy companies, Kenner Toys and Hasbro, sculpting boy’s action figures and girl’s toys. Changing direction, Donna became a United States Mint sculptor-engraver in July 2000 and held the job for more than five years, retiring in 2006. She is now part of the Artistic Infusion Program at the Mint and designs for specific coin programs. Among her work for the Mint are designs for twelve state quarters; commemorative coins, including the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial silver dollar; the American Eagle platinum coin; and medals honoring a wide variety of Americans from Jackie Robinson to Charles Schultz. To see her amazing array of historical portraits, go to (
visit link) Thanks to Donna’s artistry, William Bartram once again gazes across the landscapes he explored so long ago. Make your plans to join us on the Bartram Trail in Palatka as we mark the 250th anniversary of John and William’s first foray to the South. We hope to see you by the river."
By Dorinda Dallmeyer, BTC President
Text of this marker in Fayetteville, NC:
The Bartram Trail Conference (w/ bas relief of William Bartram)
William Bartram Trail
Traced 1773-1777
During 1776 Bartram revisited the site. he saw a river port with a brisk trade between the baackcountry and Wilmington.
Erected in 2015 by
The Linear Park Corporation
City of Fayetteville
in Cooperation with
The Bartram Trail Conference