National Cemetery Administration

Dates of Establishment: National Cemeteries & NCA Burial Sites (4 of 6)

Although the U.S. Army maintained cemetery records in the nineteenth century, it can be challenging to determine dates of establishment along with first and oldest burials. At some locations, the earliest date of the death substantially predates the year the cemetery was established — often this is due to the relocation of remains from other cemeteries when the Army closed military installations. The date a national cemetery was established may correspond to earliest date of death (military or civilian), when the government legally acquired the land, or when a government official authorized or designated the grounds as a national cemetery. In locations where there was room in private cemeteries, the military may have buried its dead in plots designated as soldiers' lots, regardless of service branches interred.

4. National Cemeteries Established After 1973

With few exceptions, these national cemeteries were established by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), after September 1973 once it took over the national cemetery system from the Army. Generally, the first interments occurred the same year a cemetery was established, but depending upon funding and construction, this is not always the case.

return to top