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OUR HISTORY
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CONFEDERATE CEMETERY DVD FOR SALE
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"Let the women of the South organize memorial associations, for it is the women who must see that those who gave their lives for the greatest cause the world has ever known, must live forever in the hearts of the Southern people."

This was the appeal that Father Abram Joseph Ryan made in the spring of the year 1866. Father Ryan, the "Poet-Priest of the Confederacy" was a Catholic priest, journalist, and poet who served as a Chaplain in the Confederate Army.

Following in this spirit, about 40 Fayetteville ladies met on Monday June 10, 1872, at the Methodist Church South, to begin the task of securing a piece of land which would be the permanent resting place for Confederate dead. Just one year later on Tuesday June 10, 1873, the ladies dedicated the Confederate Cemetery and the first graves were decorated. The largest crowd ever assembled in the county, since the burial of Col. Archibald Yell, gathered that day to attend the first annual Southern Memorial Day ceremony.

Today, the Confederate Cemetery located at the top of East Rock Street, is still privately owned and maintained by the Southern Memorial Association of Washington County, Arkansas, holding to the same purpose and devotion as the ladies of 1872.

The Southern Memorial Association is the oldest known, continuous organization founded by women in Washington County. It is possibly the oldest women's organization that has remained in continous operation in the entire State of Arkansas.

Please feel welcome to contact the Southern Memorial Association with suggestions or concerns you may have about the Southern Memorial Association or the Confederate Cemetery. The officers wish to fulfill the original purposes of the association in order that the Confederate Cemetery remain a dignified and beautiful resting place for the Confederate soldiers who rest within its walls.

Contact the Southern Memorial Association

The 139th annual Southern Memorial Day will be held on Saturday June 2, 2012, at 10 am at the Confederate Cemetery.

The Southern Memorial Association was founded on June 10, 1872. The year 2012 will mark the 140th anniversary of the founding of the association which established Fayetteville's historic Confederate Cemetery. The memorial ceremony will include unveiling a beautiful interpretive panel which will honor of the founding ladies. A second panel honoring the soldiers who rest in the cemetery will also be unveiled.

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The Southern Memorial Association is a non-profit 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization which depends on donations for maintenance and preservation of the Confederate Cemetery and the Walker Cemetery. All donations made to the SMA for the care of these cemeteries are tax deductible.

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