National Cemetery Administration

National Register of Historic Places and Designated National Historic Landmarks

Many of the oldest national cemeteries and soldiers lots managed by the National Cemetery Administration (NCA) are recognized as historically significant and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and/or designated as National Historic Landmarks (NHL). Both programs are under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Department of the Interior.

The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the nation's historic properties worthy of preservation. Properties listed on the NRHP are significant at the national, state or local level. National Historic Landmarks are buildings, sites, districts, structures, and objects that have been determined by the Secretary of the Interior to be nationally significant in American history and culture. A nationally significant property is of exceptional value in representing or illustrating an important theme in national history. Listed properties can be related by a shared historic context, such as the "Civil War Era National Cemeteries Multiple Property Submission (MPS)," a group of NCA cemeteries listed in the late 1990s. All NHL properties are also automatically listed on the NRHP.

View in Dayton National Cemetery, part of the Central Branch National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers National Historic Landmark, designated 2012.

Federal Law

The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA), as amended, mandates that federal agencies must nominate their historic properties to the NRHP. "Each Federal agency shall establish…a preservation program for the identification, evaluation, and nomination to the National Register of Historic Places, and protection of historic properties. Such program shall ensure—that historic properties under the jurisdiction or control of the agency, are identified, evaluated, and nominated to the National Register," per 16 U.S. Code 470h-2(a)(2).

Treatment

Federal agencies, including the Department of Veterans Affairs, are responsible per NHPA to take into account the effects of their undertakings on historic properties eligible for or listed on the NRHP. An undertaking is defined as a project, activity, or program funded in whole or in part under the direct or indirect jurisdiction of a Federal agency, including expenditures, licensing and approvals. Procedures for reviewing undertakings affecting historic properties are addressed principally by Sections 106 and 110(f) of NHPA. Resources designated as National Historic Landmarks require a greater level of preservation diligence, per 36 CFR 65.2.

Education

The Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) program is affiliated with the NRHP. TwHP has developed lesson plans and other guidance using National Register-listed properties to encourage educators, historians, preservationists, site interpreters and others to work together effectively. Some NCA cemeteries are the basis for lesson plans, including Dayton National Cemetery, Ohio, featured in, "A Nation Repays Its Debt: The National Soldiers' Home and Cemetery in Dayton, Ohio."

The NPS Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary Series highlights thousands of sites nationwide, many listed on the NRHP—bringing them to the attention of anyone interested in learning more about American history, architecture and culture, and encouraging people to visit these important and inspiring places. NCA helped develop two travel itineraries to commemorate the Civil War sesquicentennial (2011–2015). One itinerary, "Civil War Era National Cemeteries: Honoring Those Who Served," includes all historic national cemeteries associated with that conflict, and a second itinerary highlights the "Veterans Affairs National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers."

Definitions

National cemetery properties have different physical characteristics based on their origin. During and after the Civil War, the U.S. government interred veterans in designated sections of private or local cemeteries as needed. Some of these "imbedded" lots located within existing burial grounds were later re-designated national cemeteries, while others remained a "soldiers' lot," "government lot," or "monument site." However, most national cemeteries are stand-alone properties.

NCA properties have been nominated to the NRHP as individual properties based on their own merit, but others share an historic context related to the period in which they were developed and later listed as a Multiple Property Submission (MPS; previously Multiple Resource Area (MRA) to the NRHP. For example, listings for the "Civil War Era National Cemeteries MPS" encompasses 59 cemeteries NCA nominated to the NRHP throughout the 1990s; the "Inter World War National Cemeteries MPS" and VA's "Second Generation VA Medical Center MPS," which include national cemeteries, are two themes derived from 20th century events. Regardless of historic context, cemeteries in general are "historic districts" because they contain multiple historic resources that are contributing elements to the nomination.

National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Listing

Many of the cemeteries—or monuments within the cemeteries— are included as part of Multiple Property Submissions (MPS), also known as theme studies. While links to the individual nominations are in the table below, the following links will take you to the larger studies:

• Civil War Era National Cemeteries MPS
• Inter-World War National Cemeteries, 1934–1939, MPS
• United States Second Generation Veterans Hospitals MPS
• Civil War Commemorative Sculpture in Arkansas, 1886–1934, MPS
• Civil War Monuments in Kentucky, 1861–1935, MPS

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