Alexandria National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in the city of Pineville, in Rapides Parish, Louisiana. It occupies approximately 8 acres (3.2 ha), and is site to over 10,000 interments as of the end of 2020.
Alexandria National Cemetery | |
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| Location | 209 Shamrock Ave., Pineville, Louisiana |
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| Coordinates | 31°19′21″N 92°25′56″W / 31.32250°N 92.43222°W |
| Area | 8.2 acres (3.3 ha) |
| Built | 1867 |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| MPS | Civil War Era National Cemeteries MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 97000767[1] |
| Added to NRHP | July 9, 1997 |
History
editIn 1867, an 8-acre (3.2 ha) plot was appropriated from a local resident to establish the Alexandria National Cemetery. It was originally intended as a place to bury Union soldiers who died in the area during the Civil War, but later, remains from Mount Pleasant, Cheneyville, Yellow Bayou, and Fort Brown, Texas, were re-interred in Alexandria. Of approximately 1378 Civil War burials, 507 are known and 871 are unknown.
Alexandria National Cemetery was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.
Notable burials
edit- Sputnik Monroe (1928–2006), professional wrestler
- Patsy Flaherty (1876-1968), professional baseball player
- US Representative Gillis William Long (1923–1985)
- Major Jacob Brown (1778–1846), for whom Fort Brown, Texas is named
- John J. Williams (American Civil War) (1843–1865 †), the last soldier killed in the American Civil War
- Civil War Union Army Captain Ira W. Claflin (1834–1867)
- There are fifty-seven Buffalo Soldiers interred at the Alexandria National Cemetery
- There are 5 German POWs interred at The Alexandria National Cemetery
New interments
editThe cemetery is closed to new interments. Exceptions to this include subsequent interments for veterans or eligible family members in an existing gravesite. Cemetery policy allows for first-come, first-served waitlist to eligible veterans if burial space becomes available due to a canceled reservation or when a disinterment has been completed.[2]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "Alexandria National Cemetery, LA". Alexandria National Cemetery, LA. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
External links
edit
- National Cemetery Administration
- Alexandria National Cemetery in Louisiana
- U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Alexandria National Cemetery (Louisiana)
- Alexandria National Cemetery at Find a Grave
- Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS) No. LA-4, "Alexandria National Cemetery, 209 East Shamrock Street, Pineville, Rapides Parish, LA", 33 photos, 3 photo caption pages
- HALS No. LA-4-A, "Alexandria National Cemetery, Lodge", 7 data pages
- HALS No. LA-4-B, "Alexandria National Cemetery, Rostrum", 3 data pages
