DAR dedicates America 250 marker at Obeth Cemetery

The Quaker Meadows Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) dedicated a DAR/William G. Pomeroy Foundation America 250! Revolutionary War Series Marker at Obeth Cemetery, Lake James State Park, in honor of American Revolution Patriots William Fullwood, John Gibbs, and Lawrence Unger, whose graves are in the cemetery.

2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and to observe this momentous occasion, the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission was established by Congress to encourage Americans to remember our past, to celebrate the present, and to look forward to a promising future.

As part of that celebration, the NSDAR has partnered with the William G. Pomeroy Foundation to sponsor grants for DAR America 250! Revolutionary War Series Markers throughout the nation.

The Quaker Meadows Chapter, NSDAR, Morganton, applied for and received a grant for the marker, one of approximately 25 in the United States, and only three in North Carolina.

Quaker Meadows Daughter Andrea Kiser spoke about the life and service of Reverend Fullwood, her third great-grandfather. Kiser and other Quaker Meadows Daughters are largely responsible for the restoration of Obeth Cemetery, once part of now defunct Obeth Methodist Church, which Patriots Fullwood, Gibbs, and Unger helped found. Fullwood and Gibbs served the church as pastors.

For her work, Kiser, a lifelong Burke County resident, has received a Historic Preservation Recognition Award from the National Society in 2021, the First Place Cemetery Restoration Award from the North Carolina Society DAR in 2022, and the North Carolina State Locke Craige Award for her work in restoring Obeth.

Of her cemetery restoration work, Kiser stated, “All I know is, that if it was in me, I could not let a cemetery that was a resting place of all the souls that are part of who I am, be lost forever.”

Retired airline Captain Jim Gibbs, of Chapel Hill, spoke at the service about his third great-grandfather, Reverend John Gibbs. Scott Thompson, of McLouth, Kansas, spoke about his fourth great-grandfather, Lawrence Unger.

Lake James State Park Superintendent Nora Coffey, spoke about the process of restoring the cemetery and obtaining the marker.

Chapter Regent Patricia Wells, who led the service, said, “These Patriots whom we honor today were not men of particular distinction, position, or rank. They received no medals of valor nor recognition for service, but these men typified the common folk whose sacrifice and courage secured the liberties we enjoy today. They left home and hearth to serve, in order to, as Fullwood himself put it in his pension application, ‘guard the tree of liberty.’ The service of these men and other men and women like them formed the essential foundation of our country’s liberty. It is our honor to honor them with this marker.”

Wells also encouraged the more than 50 attendees at the service to, “Tell the story. Tell your children, your grandchildren, tell your friends, and your neighbors. Tell the story, so that the bravery of these Patriots and the value and the cost of our Liberties shall not be forgotten.”

Members of the Colonel Alexander Erwin Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution, and other chapters, under the leadership of SAR member Kevin Allec, provided the Color Guard and musket volley.

The marker was unveiled by Chapter America 250! Chair, Becca Heacock and Kiser. Allec and Heacock recently received America 250! Awards from the Chapter. Soloist for the event was Mrs. Sharon Johnson.

Obeth Cemetery is off Lake James State Park Road, approximately 1.1 miles on the right from the turn off N.C.126 into the Paddy’s Creek section of the park.

The Quaker Meadows Chapter, NSDAR, also partnered with Morganton City and Burke County to place a marker at Greenlee Ford in May 2024 in honor of the Oct. 1, 1780, crossing of the Catawba by the Overmountain Men enroute to the defeat of Patrick Ferguson at the Battle of Kings’ Mountain, a defeat which Thomas Jefferson said turned the tide of the Revolution in the South.

The NSDAR is a women’s service organization whose members can trace their lineage to an individual who contributed to securing American independence during the Revolutionary War.

Today’s DAR is dynamic and diverse, with over 190,000 members in 3,000 chapters in the United States and abroad. DAR chapters participate in projects to promote historic preservation, education, and patriotism.

In 2024, DAR members provided more than 7 million hours of volunteer service to their local communities across the country and world. The Quaker Meadows Chapter provided more than 4,000 hours. Over 1 million members have joined the organization since its founding in 1890.

To learn more about DAR membership, visit www.DAR.org, www.Facebook.com/QuakerMeadows.com or contact Regent Pat Wells, PatriciaWellsDAR@gmail.com.