June 10, 1873

The Southern Memorial Association of Washington County (SMA), which had been formed exactly one year before, dedicated the Confederate Cemetery at Fayetteville (Washington County), which contained about 500 relocated graves at that time. With soldiers from Arkansas, Missouri, Louisiana, and Texas interred in the cemetery, the dedication service drew an estimated 3,000 people. The SMA was organized to collect scattered Confederate graves in northwestern Arkansas into one central location. The result was the construction of the Confederate cemetery, which remains under the group’s care. The SMA may be the oldest organization of its type in continual operation.