National Cemetery Administration
Fort McPherson National Cemetery
12004 South Spur 56A
Maxwell, NE 69151
Phone: 308-582-4433
FAX: 308-582-4616
Kiosk: Yes
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Visitation Hours: Open daily from dawn to dusk.
Office Hours: Monday thru Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Closed federal holidays except Memorial Day.
This cemetery has space available to accommodate casketed and cremated remains.
Burial in a national cemetery is open to all members of the armed forces who have met a minimum active duty service requirement and were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable.
A Veteran's spouse, widow or widower, minor dependent children, and under certain conditions, unmarried adult children with disabilities may also be eligible for burial. Eligible spouses and children may be buried even if they predecease the Veteran.
Members of the reserve components of the armed forces who die while on active duty or who die while on training duty, or were eligible for retired pay, may also be eligible for burial.
Fax all discharge documentation to the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 1-866-900-6417 and follow-up with a phone call to 1-800-535-1117.
For information on scheduled burials in our national cemeteries, please go to the Daily Burial Schedule.
Grave Location: At the time of interment, we will provide a packet to the next of kin that includes a map of the cemetery with the grave location information. To locate graves of others who are buried here, please visit our public information center where you will find both automated and printed grave locators. To locate gravesites of veterans elsewhere, please visit the VA locator. To locate gravesites of service members buried overseas, visit the American Battle Monuments Commission.
Military Funeral Honors
Any veteran who is buried in a national cemetery is entitled to military funeral honors that include folding and presentation of the U.S. flag to the next of kin and the playing of Taps. The flag detail will include two members of the armed forces, at least one of whom is from the branch of service in which the veteran served. A rifle volley may be provided if a qualified rifle detail is available. A volunteer rifle detail is available in North Platte and can be scheduled through the funeral home or by calling 308-534-4350 ext. 267. Members of the armed forces can be scheduled through the funeral home or by calling the following numbers:
Air Force: 402-294-6667
Army: 785-239-3741
Coast Guard: 314-539-3900
Marine Corps: 866-826-3628
Navy: 877-478-3988
The Department of Veterans Affairs does not provide military funeral honors and, while our staff is always willing to assist families in any way possible, the Department of Defense is responsible for providing military funeral honors. Additional information may be found online or by writing to the following address:
Department of Defense
Directorate for Public Inquiry and Analysis
Room 3A750 The Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301-1400
For educational materials and additional information on this cemetery, please visit the Education section, located below.
You can place fresh cut flowers on your loved one's grave throughout the year.
At the time of burial, floral arrangements with the casket or urn will be placed on the completed grave.
Floral items will be removed from graves when they become faded or unsightly. Government supplied plastic flower containers are available for your use.
Floral policies are posted at the cemetery.
You can place artificial flowers on graves from October 10 through March 15. Artificial flowers are also allowed during the week of Memorial Day and will be removed 7 days after the holiday.
Christmas wreaths or grave blankets may be placed on graves during the holiday. Floral grave blankets may not be larger than two feet by three feet. These will be removed by January 10.
To preserve the dignity and appearance of your loved one's final resting place, the following items aren't allowed at headstones or columbariums:
- Alcoholic products
- Balloons, candles, or vigil lights
- Decorative and breakable glass items or objects
- Non-government supplied floral containers (pots, planters, glass vases, etc.)
- Objects such as rocks or other durable items, that when mowing or performing maintenance could become projectiles
- Offensive items or those deemed contrary to honoring Veterans
- Permanent in-ground plantings
- Pinwheels
- Statues or stuffed animals
- Weapons of any kind, explosives, or ammunition
Please note:
- Floral items or decorations may not be secured to headstones.
- In-ground floral containers may not be placed in new cemeteries or new sections of national cemeteries.
Built in 1863, Fort McPherson was established to ensure peace along the western frontier between the immigrants traveling along the Oregon Trail and the Native American inhabitants. The troops originally stationed at the post provided military protection from hostile Native Americans during the construction of the railroad.
To meet the burial needs of the soldiers stationed at the post, a cemetery was established early in its history. The old post burial ground was later moved to southwest of the post and some 50 remains were moved to this location.
Establishment of the 20-acre Fort McPherson National Cemetery in 1873 afforded the space to relocate remains from the cemeteries abandoned when the number of settlers decreased. Burial records testify that life on the frontier was full of hardships and dangers similar to battlefield camps during times of war.
The cemetery lodge was built in 1876 and rehabilitated in 1951 and 2000. About one mile southeast of the cemetery a monument marks the site of the flagstaff of the old military post. Another monument marks the route used by the Pony Express over the Oregon Trail, which passes through the cemetery.
The cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 5, 2012.
Monuments and Memorials
The cemetery has a digital carillon system that was donated by the American Veterans, Inc (AMVETS) Department of Nebraska, in partnership with the AMVETS National Foundation. The carillon rings during the week to mark the time of day and plays selected devotional music on the weekend.
