Cross Creek Cemetery Number One
Also known as: Old Cross Creek Cemetery
Why it's listed
Cross Creek Cemetery Number One, a public burying ground in Fayetteville, was deeded to the town by James Hogg in 1785 and expanded in 1833 under the will of John Eccles, who required the northern section to be laid out in small lots on the plan of the New Haven graveyard. Its roughly 1,170 gravemarkers range from a 1786 slate discoid headstone to a 1964 marker, and include ledgers, box tombs, table-tombs, obelisks and headstones. The cemetery holds the premier collection of stones cut by Scottish stonecutter George Lauder, who operated a marble yard in Fayetteville from 1845 until his death in 1888. The graves include early merchants, clergymen, militia captains, a federal judge, a navy secretary and a former acting governor of North Carolina. The first Confederate monument in North Carolina, erected in December 1868, stands at the eastern edge of the grounds. The cemetery is also valued for its brick retaining wall along Cross Creek and its historic burial record.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the cemetery is one of a small number of town cemeteries in the state established in the eighteenth century, with statewide significance for social history because of the notable local and state figures buried there. It also argues the cemetery has statewide significance for funerary sculpture, holding the premier collection of gravestones cut by Scottish stonecutter George Lauder, and it contains signed antebellum markers by stonecutters from several states.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 98001209, listed September 25, 1998. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Jct. of N. Cool Spring and Grove St., Fayetteville |
|---|---|
| County | Cumberland County |
| Listed | September 25, 1998 |
| Reference number | 98001209 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1785-1948 |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Social History, Art |
| Level of significance | State |
| Acreage | 5 |
| Within district | Fayetteville Downtown Historic District |
| Coordinates | 35.05486, -78.87278 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 98001209.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5188279
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.