Burial at Mountain Home National Cemetery: A family guide

History of Mountain Home National Cemetery

Mountain Home National Cemetery is located in the northeastern section of Tennessee in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains within the city limits of Johnson City. The cemetery is on the grounds of the Mountain Home Veterans Administration Center.

Originally known as the Mountain Home Branch of the National Asylum for Disabled Volunteered Soldiers, the facility was the product of sustained efforts by Tennessee Congressman Walter Preston Brownlow. In 1901 Congress approved a bill introduced by Brownlow to establish a national home in the Johnson City area. A designated board of managers chose a 450-acre site and commissioned New York architect J. H. Freedlander to design 36 French Renaissance-style buildings. The home opened October 15, 1903. Five years later, special dispensation was granted to permit the interment of Congressman Brownlow in the Mountain Home cemetery. He and his wife occupy the only graves inside Monument Circle.

The Mountain Home Branch of the National Homes was the ninth, and last, of its kind funded by Congress to care for Union veterans of the Civil War. In 1973, it was transferred to the Veterans Administration and the home cemetery became a national cemetery.

The cemetery is part of the Mountain Home Branch-National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers National Historic Landmark district, designated on June 17, 2011.

Notable veterans buried at Mountain Home National Cemetery

The National Cemetery Administration documents the following veterans of note buried at Mountain Home 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:
• Lieutenant Frederick Clarence Buck (Civil War). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, Company A, 21st Connecticut Infantry, for actions at Chapin's Farm, VA, on September 29, 1864. Buck died in 1905 and is buried in Section F, Row 1, Site 9.
• Sergeant Henry G. Buhrman (Civil War). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, Company H, 54th Ohio Infantry, for actions at Vicksburg, MS, May 22, 1863. Buhrman died in 1906 and is buried in Section C, Row 2, Site 12.
• Seaman Thomas Smith (Civil War). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Navy for actions on board the USS Magnolia, St. Marks, FL, March 5–6, 1865. He died in 1905 and is buried in Section G, Row 1, Site 3.
• Staff Sergeant Junior James Spurrier (World War II). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, Company G, 134th Infantry, 35th Infantry Division, for actions in northeastern France at Achain, November 13, 1944. He died in 1984 and is buried in Section HH, Row 15, Site 8.
• Other Burials Mexican-American War Unknowns: Mountain Home National Cemetery holds the remains of 16 unknown U.S. soldiers from the First Tennessee Infantry who were killed or mortally wounded at the Battle of Monterrey (September 21, 1846). Excavated over a period stretching from 1996–2011, their remains were repatriated in 2016 and interred here in 2025.

Eligibility for burial at Mountain Home 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 sunrise to sunset. Office Hours: Monday thru Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Closed federal holidays except Memorial Day. VA will continue its practice of honoring special requests for weekend burials for religious purposes, in cases of service members killed in action and on at least one day of any three-day Federal holiday weekend at all open VA national cemeteries.

How to schedule a burial at Mountain Home 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 Mountain Home National Cemetery at the assigned time. The cemetery handles opening, closing, and perpetual care from that point.

Where Mountain Home National Cemetery sits in the Tennessee cemetery system

Mountain Home National Cemetery is one of the veteran cemeteries operating in Tennessee. The cemetery is currently accepting new in-ground and columbarium interments. Families should verify status before planning.

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