History Comes Alive | The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Evergreen Cemetery Association President Marilyn Heifner stands beside the damaged headstone of Archibald Yell. Proceeds from “History Comes Alive” will help pay for a new monument to mark Yell’s grave.

Fans of theater and fanciers of Fayetteville history will have a unique chance to celebrate both in an Artist's Laboratory Theatre production called "History Comes Alive," presented Saturday in collaboration with the Evergreen Cemetery Association.

Stephen K. Stone (1819-1909) Stephen K. Stone moved to Fayetteville in 1840 with $450 to his name. By 1850, he had opened a family grocery store that eventually expanded to a department store. Well-liked and respected in the community, Stone purchased the house built at 207 W. Center St. from prominent resident Judge David Walker. The house remained in the Stone family for generations, and Stone and his wife were in residence when it was hit by a cannonball during the Civil War.

Peter Van Winkle (1814-1882) Peter Van Winkle relocated to Washington County with his wife in 1838, then moved to Benton County in 1851. Van Winkle, the owner and operator of Van Winkle Mill, was known for his innovative mill practices that were technologically advanced for the time. Van Winkle Mill supplied lumber for the Confederate Army during the Civil War. After the war destroyed his mill and home, Van Winkle was instrumental in helping to rebuild Northwest Arkansas. He even supplied the materials for Old Main on the University of Arkansas campus.

Roberta Fulbright (1874-1953) Roberta Fulbright, mother of six (including Arkansas Sen. J. William Fulbright) and wife to Jay Fulbright, became an almost accidental feminist icon when she took over her family’s business holdings after her husband’s sudden death in 1923. She fought sexist opposition as she helped to run businesses as diverse as the Fayetteville Mercantile Company, Citizens Bank and the Fayetteville Ice Company. Her most public role was fighting corrupt local politicians and election fraud as publisher and columnist for the Fayetteville Daily Democrat, which later became the Northwest Arkansas Times.

Archibald Yell (1797-1847) Archibald Yell fought in the War of 1812, the First Seminole War and, ultimately, lost his life in the Mexican-American War when, according to reports, he charged, sword-first, into a crowd of 1,000 Mexican soldiers. Yell — who represented Arkansas in Congress and served as its governor — had a personality that was described as “larger than life.” Apocryphal stories of his sometimes bellicose, sometimes charming behavior abound, such as the one that has him, as a sitting judge, yelling after an escaping prisoner, “Run, damn it, run like hell!”

Sophia Sawyer (1792-1854) By the time Sophia Sawyer relocated to Fayetteville in 1839 with the family of her employee, John Ridge — a Cherokee leader who had been assassinated as a result of his involvement with the Treaty Party — she had spent some 16 years teaching in missions with the Cherokee tribe. Once in Washington County, she wasted no time in starting a new school populated by local children and those of prominent Cherokee families. The school eventually became the highly successful and nationally known Fayetteville Female Seminary.

Adeline Blakely (1850-1945) Adeline Blakely was born into slavery and was caretaker of the Parks family for five generations. She was the author of several slave narratives that go into great detail about life in Fayetteville prior to, during and after the Civil War. Beloved by the Parks family and a well-respected member of the community, Blakely is the only known African-American buried in Evergreen Cemetery.

A.S. Vandeventer (1840-1910) A.S. Vandeventer was a colonel in the Confederate Army who settled in Fayetteville after the war, where he became a prominent lawyer, a one-term mayor and a chief deputy in Isaac Parker’s court.

The performance, which will be presented on site in Fayetteville's Evergreen Cemetery, will allow audience members a unique opportunity to tour the historic cemetery while actors portraying seven of Fayetteville's most intriguing former residents deliver monologues about their action-packed lives. Notable Fayetteville citizens portrayed include Archibald Yell, Roberta Fulbright, Stephen K. Stone, Sophia Sawyer, Adeline Blakeley, Peter Van Winkle and Alexander S. Vandeventer.

FAQ

What — History Comes Alive presented by The Artist’s Laboratory Theatre and the Evergreen Cemetery Association

When — 1 p.m.-3p.m., Saturday, December 11

Where — Evergreen Cemetery, at the corner of Center St., and South University Avenue (Use Whiteside Entrance.)

Cost — $10

Info — http://artlabtheatr…

Evergreen Cemetery Association President Marilyn Heifner says there were more than enough fascinating stories to choose from among the estimated 3,000 burials in the cemetery. Heifner says it's unusual to find a large cemetery this old -- the oldest gravestone is dated 1838 -- because most cemeteries at the time were small, family-owned plots.

In fact, Evergreen started out as the cemetery for the John Thomas family prior to being purchased for use as a public cemetery by the Washington Lodge No. 1 of the Free and Accepted Masons and Lodge No. 15 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

"It's a walk through history when you're there," Heifner says. "There are lawyers, University [of Arkansas] presidents. ... Archibald Yell -- the second governor of Arkansas, an Arkansas congressman -- is there. There are ambassadors, baseball players, business women, educators, historians ... a real gamut of Fayetteville history can be found there."

Heifner says that she collaborated with the Artist's Laboratory Theatre on choosing the subjects for the show, and ALT worked with writers Willie Goering, Rodney Wilhite and Rachel Lynett to develop the scripts. Live music during the show will be performed by Carousel Orchestra. Costumes are being provided by the Washington County Historical Society.

ALT Executive Director Erika Wilhite says the partnership with the Evergreen Cemetery Association was a natural fit, given her theater company's work on their "Secret Life Tours," a dramatized walking tour around downtown Fayetteville.

"That project involves a lot of history research," she explains. "It's part drama, part history, and focuses on the downtown square, so we already had a knowledge of and an interest and enthusiasm for Fayetteville history.

"We're finding that the group that we've chosen for this show is a good sort of collage of characters that can reflect Fayetteville's character as a whole. They also really represent pieces of the American experience."

Actor Katherine Forbes, who plays prominent Fayetteville businesswoman (and mother to J. William Fulbright) Roberta Fulbright, says she is delighted to have the opportunity to portray the early equal rights advocate.

"She's absolutely a woman before her time and unapologetic for being a woman," she says. "She had a really strong sense of equality without being a feminist, per se. She was a force to be reckoned with."

"She speaks to this undercurrent of feminism that runs through Fayetteville," adds Wilhite. "She was able to shape public perspective through the newspaper she ran and, as a result of that, had a lot of power. She was an advocate for good."

Forbes says that performing in the cemetery lends a particular mood to the proceedings.

"Aesthetically, it's incredible. It's pretty magical to be in that environment," she notes. "Rustling leaves under your feet, the wind in your hair and to have the audience there to hear a story ... it's not so much a performance. We're actually telling stories and helping the audience to understand what drove our characters as human beings."

"Site-specific theater is a blast because it's unpredictable," says Wilhite. "Usually there are factors that you can't control, like weather, the environment, the public -- depending on where you're at -- but those are the very things that excite us. It's a thrill because it shapes what you do and how you respond to it."

Heifner says the proceeds of the production will help provide upkeep for the landmark cemetery. It's still active, which means that some funds come in through the sale of available plots, but the Evergreen Cemetery Organization primarily relies on grants and donations from the public for maintenance.

"Our most pressing need is to replace the Archibald Yell monument," says Heifner. She says a recent estimate puts replacement costs of the monument at about $18,000. Past grants have allowed for repair of other stones and monuments that have been damaged by the elements and vandalism over the years, but Heifner says there are always other areas of need, such as a retaining wall that needs to be replaced.

"A lot of those buried here are from the 1800s, so a lot of them don't have family to care for them," says Heifner. "At some point, it becomes a labor of love."

Both Heifner and Wilhite say they hope this is the first of many such collaborations, given the treasure trove of history found within the cemetery's walls.

"There are so many characters buried there," says Wilhite. "It's holding a lot of Fayetteville stories."

Forbes says she thinks the unusual performance style will please a wide range of potential audiences.

"It's not just theater, it's historical storytelling done in a theatrical way," she says. "It's such a unique experience. It's a magical cemetery and a magical place."

NAN What's Up on 12/09/2016

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