Burial at Little Rock National Cemetery: A family guide

History of Little Rock National Cemetery

Little Rock National Cemetery is located in Little Rock, AR, approximately two miles southeast of the state capital. The first European visitor to this region was Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto who, in 1541, first crossed the Mississippi into what would become Arkansas. Unable to locate the fabled city of gold, de Soto left the region and it was almost 200 years before French explorer Bernard de la Harpe brought new attention to area. In 1722, during his survey of the Arkansas River, Le Harpe named the river bluff La Petite Roch, or "the Little Rock." The area turned out to be a convenient point for crossing the Arkansas River and was near a Quapaw Indian settlement, so La Harpe established his trading post here. When Arkansas became a territory in 1819, the capital was located at Arkansas Post, a site downriver. Two years later it moved to the busy town of Little Rock. Little Rock was incorporated as a city in 1831 and became the capital in 1836 when Arkansas was admitted to the Union.

Although Arkansas had entered the Union as a slave state, its population was divided on the question of secession. In 1861, after officials refused to send troops to fight in the Union Army, a convention met and voted to secede from the Union, reversing an earlier decision. Following the Battle of Pea Ridge in 1862, Union forces captured Little Rock and held the city for the remainder of the war.

Early in the Civil War, the land that is currently the national cemetery was located outside city limits and was used for Union encampments. With Union troops still occupying the city in 1866, a portion of the new city cemetery was purchased by the government and set aside for military interments.

The government purchased the military plot in Little Rock City Cemetery as two parcels: 9.1 acres in September 1866 and 3.2 acres in April 1868. On April 9, 1868, it was designated a national cemetery with the stated purpose to concentrate remains of Union dead who had been buried throughout Arkansas. By this time, there were 5,425 interments: 3,092 known dead and 2,333 unknowns. In 1868, 1,482 remains removed from area battlefield graves were reinterred here.

Notable veterans buried at Little Rock National Cemetery

The National Cemetery Administration documents the following veterans of note buried at Little Rock National Cemetery, listed by section and site as recorded in the cemetery's official register.

• Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force that can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States. Recipients receive the Medal of Honor from the President on behalf of Congress. It was first awarded during the Civil War and the eligibility criteria, medal design, and recognition on a recipients' grave marker have all evolved over time. There are 434 Medal of Honor recipients interred at VA national cemeteries including 6 double recipients.
• » Medal of Honor recipients interred or memorialized here:
• Captain Maurice L. Britt (World War II). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, 3rd Infantry Division, for actions north of Mignano, Italy, November 10, 1943. Britt died in 1995 and is buried in Section 20, Site 319.
• Other Burials Tennessean Simon A. Haley (1892–1973) was the youngest child of former slaves. His father was a sharecropper. Haley worked the farm and attended school at Lane College, then A&T College in Greensboro, NC. He struggled to pay for the tuition and one summer took a job as a Pullman Porter. Upon returning to campus, Haley learned that a passenger from the train paid all his fees. He finished top in his class and won a scholarship to Cornell University, but World War I interrupted his graduate studies. Sergeant Haley served in the U.S. Army in France, 1918–1919. After the war, he finished his degree and taught agriculture at universities in Alabama and Arkansas through the mid-1950s. He is buried in Little Rock National Cemetery (Section 16, Site 1429). His son and World War II veteran, Alex, wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Roots: The Saga of an American Family.
• Louisiana native Frank Moore (1888–1932) began as a sharecropper but became one of the "Elaine 12," a benchmark case heard by the U.S. Supreme Court. Moore registered for the draft in 1917 and was called to active duty with the 162nd Arkansas Depot Brigade. Private Moore was honorably discharged in December 1918. After World War I, he joined the Progressive Farmers and Household Union to advocate for equitable treatment for sharecroppers and crop compensation. In 1919, racial violence erupted at a union meeting in Elaine, AR, where about 200 black citizens were killed in the aftermath. Twelve men were condemned to death for their association with the riot; the case went to the Supreme Court, whose ruling addressed due process and strengthened the Bill of Rights. Moore and his co-defendants were freed. Moore moved to Chicago where he died. He is buried in Little Rock National Cemetery (Section 5, Site 6528).

Eligibility for burial at Little Rock National Cemetery

Planning ahead for a Veteran's or loved-one's final resting place can eliminate unnecessary delays and reduce stress on a family at a difficult time.

The Department of Veterans Affairs covers the grave plot, opening and closing of the grave, perpetual care, a government-furnished headstone or marker, and a U.S. burial flag at no cost to eligible families.

Visiting hours

Visitation Hours: Open daily from dawn to dusk. Office Hours: Contact the Fort Smith National Cemetery at (479) 783-5345 Monday thru Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

How to schedule a burial at Little Rock National Cemetery

1. The funeral home or family contacts the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 1-800-535-1117 (24/7 for active funeral arrangements).
2. Provide the veteran's full name, date of birth, social security number, dates of service, branch, and date of death.
3. Fax or email the DD-214 to the cemetery's interment office for verification.
4. Once eligibility is confirmed (typically 30–60 minutes for complete documentation), the cemetery assigns a date, time, and committal shelter.
5. The funeral home transports the deceased to Little Rock National Cemetery at the assigned time. The cemetery handles opening, closing, and perpetual care from that point.

Where Little Rock National Cemetery sits in the Arkansas cemetery system

Little Rock National Cemetery is one of the veteran cemeteries operating in Arkansas. The cemetery is currently closed to new in-ground burials but may accept cremated remains in some cases. Families should verify status before planning.

For families considering alternatives, the nearest veteran cemeteries appear in our cemetery sidebar. If Little Rock National Cemetery is fully reserved, those alternatives are typically the next options.