Cross Creek Cemetery #1 is the oldest public cemetery in Fayetteville. Owned by the city of Fayetteville and founded in 1785, its sacred grounds hold the stories of Fayettevillians from days gone by. On Feb. 27, the eve of the 250th Anniversary of the Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge, a local historian will guide visitors on a tailored tour of the cemetery.
Visitors will hear about the extraordinary lives of Revolutionary war soldiers buried or memorialized there and the ones who waited on the home front. The cemetery’s iconography and architecture provide additional glimpses into the past. One retaining wall that runs along the southern boundary of the cemetery is believed to be the oldest piece of construction still standing in Fayetteville today, according to DistiNCtly Fayetteville.
Fayetteville’s Lafayette Trail, a self-guided tour that commemorates American Revolutionary War hero the Marquis de Lafayette’s two-day Fayetteville visit in March of 1825, includes two stops on the cemetery grounds. Stop 10 highlights the Phoenix Masonic Lodge Number 8, and stop 11 highlights the grave of Isham Blake.
During his two-day tour of Fayetteville, the Marquis de Lafayette visited Phoenix Masonic Lodge Number 8. The Greek Revival structure, built in 1793 and rebuilt in 1858, is one of the oldest lodges in the state still in existence. Isham Blake served as one of General Lafayette’s bodyguards at the Siege of Yorktown in 1781. According to DistiNCtly Fayetteville, “the Siege of Yorktown was an American victory by a combined assault of American and French forces led by General George Washington, Marquis de Lafayette, and French General Comte de Rochambeau, over a British Army commanded by General Lord Cornwallis. This surrender caused the British government to negotiate an end to the War. After the War, Blake became a productive and respected citizen of Fayetteville.”
Other noteworthy figures buried or memorialized on the cemetery grounds include United States Representative J. Bayard Clark, United States Secretary of the Navy James C. Dobbin, Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina and United States Representative Charles Manly Stedman, and Revolutionary War Soldier Isaac Hammond.
Isaac Hammond, who was stationed at Valley Forge along with the Marquis de Lafayette during the winter of 1778, served in the Fayetteville Independent Light Infantry. According to Commemorative Landscapes of North Carolina, Hammond was “a free black barber in Fayetteville, was [the Fayetteville Independent Light Infantry’s] first fifer for over 30 years. During the Revolutionary War, he enlisted in the 10th Regiment of the North Carolina Continental Line.”
Throughout the history of the cemetery, it saw significant vandalism, leading to the installation of an eight-foot wrought iron fence around its perimeter. Additionally, deterioration led to major restoration efforts completed in 2017, at which time the city hired an artisan to reset headstones and repair cracks in monuments.
Now, the cemetery stands as a testament to the enduring legacy of those who occupy its sacred grounds. To learn more, attend Cross Creek Cemetery #1 American Revolutionary Tour. The free tour will be held on Friday, Feb 27, from noon to 1 p.m. Moderate walking is required, and parking is available along N. Cool Spring Street. Learn more at fayettevillenc.gov.

(Photo: The Fayetteville History Museum will be holding a tour at Cross Creek Cemetery #1 on Cool Spring Street. The museum holds tours at the cemetery several times a year. Photo courtesy of the Fayetteville History Museum's Facebook page)