Fairview Cemetery welcomes hundreds for history tour
by October 25, 2010 5:57 pm 161 views
story and photos by Joel Rafkin
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Hundreds of people toured Fairview Cemetery in Van Buren on Sunday for the 5th annual Tales of the Crypt. The event raises money to restore and preserve monuments at the cemetery which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.
Students from the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith Historical Interpretation Program dressed in period outfits and told the stories of six prominent people interned at the cemetery while other classmates in Tom Wing’s class served as tour guides moving the groups between the grave sites.
Randy Smith, the event co-coordinator, lead the effort to get the cemetery on the historic register after reading a book on Van Buren’s early settlers and realizing so many were interned at Fairview Cemetery. More than 2,900 people are buried at fairview and 2,060 are considered historical burials (occurring prior to 1960). The cemetery is still active with 1,300 spaces still available.
Each year Tales of the Crypt raises about $1,000. These funds have paid for the preservation of four gravesites. The city of Van Buren has completed 12 preservations with the help of grant funds from the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program while volunteers have adopted 67 graves and are provided with the tools and techniques to properly preserve them. Smith said that a properly cleaned and preserved tombstone has its life essentially reset at the time of restoration and the stone becomes harder and more impervious to future damage.
The six portrayals were:
• Emma Needham Burn (1865-1922)
Burn was the mother of entertainer Bob Burns (born Robin Burn) who invented the Bazooka musical instrument.
• Charles G. Scott (1817-1882)
Scott was considered a significant figure in the founding of the state of Arkansas. He married John Drennen’s daughter, Caroline, and became a business partner with Drennen. Drennen is considered a co-founder of Van Buren.
• Woody Sarona Burton Evans (1850-1928)
Evans was a dedicated family woman who spent her life working hard to care for herself and her children despite being a widow. She died in poverty and was buried in the pauper section of the cemetery.
• Joseph Star Dunham (1823-1912)
Dunham founded the Van Buren Press where he served as editor and publisher until his death in 1912. He holds the record of oldest newspaper man in Arkansas for both his years of service and his age.
• Rev. Elizur Butler, M.D. (1794-1857)
Butler was a lifelong supporter of the Cherokee people. He was imprisoned for residing in their territory and resistance to their removal to Indian territory. Butler accompanied the Cherokees on the Trail of Tears during their forced removal to the Indian Territory.
• Anna Sadler Wilson (1890-1981)
Wilson was a childhood actress and well known among Van Buren residents. She was well educated and well traveled. She became a school teacher in the Van Buren schools.
