Square’s Confederate soldier turns 100
Posted on Wednesday, July 23, 2008
BENTONVILLE - One of the city's most notable men will celebrate his 100 th birthday in Bentonville next month.
The Confederate soldier, in the heart of the Bentonville Square, will celebrate his centennial Aug. 8. An event to mark the milestone is planned for 11 a.m. Aug. 8 at the Bentonville Public Library.
A crowd of enthusiastic Benton County residents gathered in Bentonville on Aug. 8, 1908, for a parade and unveiling of the monument.
The city's Confederate monument was erected through the efforts of James H. Berry Chapter No. 821 of the United Daughters of the Confederacy and by A. J. Bates, a Bentonville businessman and Confederate veteran.
The day's speakers arrived on decorated carriages, as well as a number of veterans, followed by a large rose-covered float carrying members of the Fayetteville chapter of the Southern Memorial Association.
The parade and statue-unveiling event remains one of the biggest days in Bentonville's history.
Between 1, 100 and 1, 400 Benton County men served in the Confederate army.
The Confederate-soldier statue was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. It is among 16 monuments in 13 Arkansas counties that are listed as historically significant properties.
The monument's centennial event will include several guest speakers, as well as a review of the events of the day when the statue was unveiled.
The event will be held at 11 a.m. Aug. 8 at the Bentonville Public Library, 405 S. Main St.
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