| The Fayetteville
Arsenal Camp is a descendent of the original “Colonel Hector McKeithen”
Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp established in May 1900. As the
19th century drew to a close, Confederate veterans were growing older and
many suffered from declining health. In 1896, the Sons of Confederate
Veterans was founded by the direct descendents of these old warriors to
help care for them and equally important, to preserve the true story of
their cause and their struggle. General Stephen
D. Lee at the first SCV convention, challenged its membership with
preserving the true history of the war for Southern Independence.
The original Fayetteville Camp was named for Hector McAllister McKeithan, a Fayetteville native who held a commission in the Fayetteville Independent Light Infantry before the War Between the States. During the war he rose to the rank of Colonel and commander of the 51st NC Troops. After the war, he was a successful businessman and active in the public life of Fayetteville until his death in 1881. Records of the old camp are minimal but they do show that the camp participated in the 1907 convention in Richmond. However, by the 1930’s interest in the camp waned and it was disbanded. The Fayetteville Arsenal Camp, named for the famous Fayetteville Arsenal that was burned by Sherman in March 1865, was chartered on January 14th, 1987 and I.H. (Ike) O’Hanlon, a prominent Fayetteville and Cumberland County citizen, was elected Commander. There were 20 other charter members: C.H. Bowman Jr., D.C. Williams, D.H. Williams, B.R. Pulliam, H.M. Joyner, Dr. Robert Downing, D.E. Nobles, H.A. Alligood, R.D. Morgan, W.H. Downing, J.A. Chesnut, W.P. Dunn, H.W. Broadfoot, T.J. Hall, L.B. Norris, Dr. Albert Stewart Jr., W.F. Johnson, Dr. D. Stewart and J.B. Simpson. T.J. Hall served as the second Camp Commander followed by Thomas Myers, Michael Crowder and Bruce Tyson, now serving. The Fayetteville Arsenal Camp currently has 87 active members which meet at 7 P.M., the first Tuesday of each month at the Cumberland County Wildlife Club. The meetings include supper for a nominal fee and historical program. Over the years the Camp has actively supported and participated in activities to promote community pride in Confederate heritage. The camp has an active cemetery cleanup and maintenance program to keep the resting places of Confederate veterans maintained in a proper manner to include replacement of grave markers when needed. The Camp planned and executed the reinternment of a Confederate veteran from a secluded wooded gravesite to the Confederate section of Cross Creek Cemetery. The event was complete with a reenactor color guard and period mule drawn hearse. Each year the Camp holds formal observances of Generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson’s (January 19 & 21) birthdays and Confederate Memorial Day (May 10). The Lee-Jackson Birthday Party is a period dress affair which in recent years has been held in the Terrace Ballroom of the Prince Charles Hotel. In May, the Camp holds a formal Confederate Memorial Day observance complete with a wreath laying ceremony and Honor Guard at the Confederate Monument in Cross Creek Cemetery. Additionally, Camp members placed over 500 small Confederate flags on gravesites throughout Cumberland County and on Ft. Bragg. As individuals and as a camp the Arsenal Camp has supported numerous educational and living history presentations for school children and the public at large. We are very proud that each year since 1998, the Fayetteville Arsenal Camp has awarded a $1,000 scholarship to a graduating Cumberland County high school senior. The Camp also supports through participation and financially many Confederate Heritage projects throughout North Carolina and the Confederation. Through words and deeds, the Fayetteville Arsenal Camp and its members endeavor to reflect our pride in our common heritage and to preserve and honor the memory of the Confederate soldier. Return to Fayetteville Arsenal Camp's Homepage |