10/23/2025
Many folks may already know that, just behind the tennis courts on the Flora Macdonald Campus, lies the grave of two children believed to be those of Flora Macdonald. While the actual identity of these remains is disputed, what is not in question is that the grave is topped by Flora Macdonald's original grave stone from the Kilmuir burial ground on the Isle of Skye.
Flora's grave was badly damaged in a storm during the early part of the 20th century and there was a widespread effort to raise funds to restore it. The faculty and students of Flora Macdonald College participated in this effort, and Dr. Charles G. Vardell, founder and first president of FMC, was invited to speak at the rededication of the monument. At that time, he asked for and was given the original, broken grave stone, which he brought back to Red Springs.
It was well known that there were two graves located near the site of Flora's Macdonald's NC homesite in Richmond County. Local tradition had it that the graves were those of two children of Flora Macdonald, and there was some credible evidence to back up this claim. Through the efforts of Dr, Vardell, Colonel Walter Scott of New York, and James A. Macdonald, editor of the Toronto Globe, an act was passed by the NC General Assembly allowing the exhumation of the remains.
The children's remains were exhumed and brought to FMC where, in May 1937, they were reinterred on the school grounds. The grave was topped by the original marker from Flora's grave on Skye. The reinterment ceremony was quite an occasion, with dignitaries arriving from all over North America and even some descendants of Flora were in attendance. The pall bearers were for students of the college, all named Flora Macdonald. Since then, the identity of the children buried on the campus has been hotly debated and no definitive conclusion has yet been put forward.
The shrine, as the grave site is known, has been in place for 88 years and the stone from Skye is in particularly poor condition. This week, under the sponsorship of the Flora Macdonald Legacy Foundation, repair and restoration work has finally begun on both the stone and the monument as a whole. Michael Verville, of Verville Interiors & Preservation in Oxford, NC, spent two days on site removing the pieces of the stone and relaying it on the slate base that he found beneath it. The pieces were then reset with a restoration grade mortar and left to cure. He will be returning to clean the entire shrine with a special fungicide that will gradually lighten and whiten the marble over the coming months.
Many individuals have contributed to this effort including Vardell Hall alumnae, the Red Springs Rotary Club, and the Kilmuir Community Council from the Isle of Skye. Should anyone wish to contribute please send gifts to the Flora Macdonald Legacy Foundation 200 North College Street Red Springs, NC 28377. If you are in the area, please stop by campus and see the results of these efforts.
