Little Rock National Cemetery is a
United States National Cemetery
The United States National Cemetery System is a system of 164 cemeteries in the United States and its territories. The authority to create military burial places came during the American Civil War, in an act passed by the U.S. Congress o ...
, located approximately two miles (3 km) south-east of the
Arkansas State Capitol
The Arkansas State Capitol, often called the Capitol Building, is the home of the Arkansas General Assembly, and the seat of the Arkansas state government that sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the Capitol Mall in Little Rock, Arkan ...
Building, being within the city of
Little Rock
( The "Little Rock")
, government_type = Council-manager
, leader_title = Mayor
, leader_name = Frank Scott Jr.
, leader_party = D
, leader_title2 = Council
, leader_name2 ...
, and
Pulaski County, Arkansas
Pulaski County is located in the U.S. state of Arkansas with a population of 399,125, making it the most populous county in Arkansas. The county is included in the Little Rock–North Little Rock– Conway metropolitan area. Its county seat is L ...
. It encompasses , and as of the end of 2005, had 25,172 interments. Administered by the
United States Department of Veterans Affairs
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers a ...
, it is currently closed to new interments.
History
The area around Little Rock National Cemetery was once a
Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
encampment. The cemetery itself was a plot within the Little Rock City Cemetery, purchased by the federal government in 1866 and was used to inter Union soldiers who died anywhere in
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...
. It was officially declared a National Cemetery on April 9, 1868 at which time were added.
In 1884, an
Confederate
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
States or communities
* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
* Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...
cemetery was established immediately adjacent to the National Cemetery. In 1938, the two cemeteries were combined, though the Union and Confederate burials continued to be in separate sections.
In 1990, additional land was purchased from the nearby
Oakland-Fraternal Cemetery, and in November 1999 the city of Little Rock donated , bringing the cemetery to its current size.
Little Rock National Cemetery was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1996.
File:Graves of Confederate soldiers, Little Rock National Cemetery, Little Rock, Arkansas.jpg, Memorial to 640 Confederate soldiers buried nearby
Noteworthy monuments
* The
Confederate Memorial, erected in 1884.
* The Minnesota Monument, a granite and bronze monument erected in 1916.
Notable interments
* Lieutenant
Maurice Britt
Maurice Lee "Footsie" Britt (June 29, 1919 – November 26, 1995) was an American professional football player, Medal of Honor recipient of World War II, businessman, and Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas. He played for the Detroit Lions in 1941 a ...
(1919–1995),
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...
recipient for action in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas
[Little Rock National Cemetery homepage (Notable Persons)](_blank)
/ref>
* Sergeant Simon A. Haley (1892–1973), professor of agriculture and father of author Alex Haley
Alexander Murray Palmer Haley (August 11, 1921 – February 10, 1992) was an American writer and the author of the 1976 book '' Roots: The Saga of an American Family.'' ABC adapted the book as a television miniseries of the same name and a ...
Dick Hogan
Dixon Howard "Dick" Hogan (November 27, 1917 – August 18, 1995) was an American actor of the 1930s and 1940s. During his 12-year career he appeared in over three dozen films, in roles which varied from unnamed bellhops to featured and starring ...
(1917–1995), actor
* Earl Sutton Smith (1897–1963), Major League Baseball playerSociety for American Baseball Research
/ref>
* Captain John H. Yancey (1918–1986), decorated United States Marine of World War II and the Korean War
See also
*
References
External links
National Cemetery Administration
Little Rock National Cemetery
*
*
*
{{Authority control
Cemeteries in Little Rock, Arkansas
Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in Arkansas
Historic American Landscapes Survey in Arkansas
National Register of Historic Places in Little Rock, Arkansas
Protected areas of Pulaski County, Arkansas
Tourist attractions in Little Rock, Arkansas
United States national cemeteries
1868 establishments in Arkansas