Ashland Cemetery Soldiers' Lot

Ashland Cemetery Soldiers' Lot is a VA national cemetery in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. VA lists it as closed to new burials. Burial is free for eligible veterans, their spouses and dependent children.

Source: National Cemetery Administration (cem.va.gov), retrieved May 2026

History of Ashland Cemetery Soldiers' Lot

Ashland Cemetery Soldiers' Lot is located in Section D of Ashland Cemetery in Carlisle, PA. The soldiers buried here were stationed at Carlisle Barracks, one of the oldest military posts in the United States. Initially, the dead from Carlisle Barracks were interred in a post cemetery. In March 1866, the federal government purchased approximately 0.25 acres of land in Ashland Cemetery, and by 1871, the War Department transferred the remains from the post cemetery to the government plot in Ashland Cemetery.

Carlisle Barracks has a long history both as a post and as an educational institution. President George Washington met the garrison here in 1794 before journeying to Western Pennsylvania to quash the Whiskey Rebellion. In the first half of the 19th century, the Army established educational programs at Carlisle Barracks, including the School of Cavalry Practice and the School of Horse-Drawn Light Artillery. Major J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry set fire to the barracks during the Civil War, when the Confederate Army invaded Pennsylvania in the Gettysburg Campaign. In 1879, the War Department transferred control of the post to the Department of Interior, which opened the Carlisle Indian Industrial School on the site. Carlisle Barracks returned to the War Department in 1918, which continued to operate educational programs on the campus. The U.S. Army War College, established in Washington, D.C., in 1903, was relocated to Carlisle Barracks in 1951. Today, the Army War College trains the upper ranks of military personnel.

Monuments and Memorials In 1934, the federal government erected a headstone with the inscription "500 Unknown U.S. Soldiers." Subsequent research identified the remains of 35 soldiers interred in the soldiers' lot. In July 1960 the federal government erected a replacement monument bearing a plaque with the inscription: "500 U.S. Soldiers of the Civil War Are Here Interred. [List of the 35 Names] The Others Are Known But to God." In addition to the mass grave, there are 23 individual graves of soldiers who died at Carlisle Barracks, 19 known and four unknown.

Notable interments

The National Cemetery Administration lists these people of note buried at Ashland Cemetery Soldiers' Lot, with section and site where recorded.

Directions

From Indiantown Gap National Cemetery take Interstate 81 South to Exit 52. Turn left on High Street and stay in right lane. Follow High Street to Route 74 South. Turn right onto Route 74 South. Follow Route 74 South for 1 ½ blocks and the cemetery will be on your right located in the Ashland Cemetery.

Flowers and grounds rules

Contact the cemetery for information regarding the floral/grounds policy.

Education and visiting programs

More than half of VA's national cemeteries originated with the Civil War and many are closed to some burials. Other sites were established to serve World War veterans and they continue to expand. Historic themes related with NCA's cemeteries and soldiers' lots vary, but visitors should understand "Why is it here?" NCA began by installing interpretive signs, or waysides, at more than 100 properties to observe the Civil War Sesquicentennial (2011–2015). Please follow the links below to see the interpretive signs for Ashland Soldiers' Lot.

A National Cemetery System Ashland Soldiers' Lot

Who can be buried at Ashland Cemetery Soldiers' Lot?

VA national cemeteries accept a veteran who didn't receive a dishonorable discharge, a service member who died on active duty or in training, the veteran's spouse or surviving spouse (even if they remarried), and minor or, in some cases, unmarried adult dependent children. National Guard and Reserve members qualify under narrower rules. You can ask VA for a pre-need eligibility decision in advance; it does not reserve a gravesite.

What does burial here include at no cost?

• A gravesite in any VA national cemetery with available space
• Opening and closing of the grave
• A government-provided burial liner
• A government-provided headstone or marker
• Perpetual care of the gravesite

Veterans also receive a burial flag, a Presidential Memorial Certificate (presented to the next of kin at the burial) and military funeral honors, which include the playing of Taps and two uniformed service members who present the flag. The committal service is held at a committal shelter, not at the grave, and lasts about 20 minutes. National cemeteries have no viewing facilities, so the funeral itself is held elsewhere.

How do you schedule a burial at Ashland Cemetery Soldiers' Lot?

1. Gather the veteran's DD214 or other discharge papers, and the deceased's details (Social Security number, dates of birth and death, relationship to the veteran).
2. Fax the discharge papers to the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 866-900-6417, or email them to [email protected] with the deceased's name in the subject line.
3. You or the funeral director call 800-535-1117 (Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET) to request Ashland Cemetery Soldiers' Lot and a date. National cemeteries hold burials Monday through Friday.

VA lists Ashland Cemetery Soldiers' Lot as closed. Ask the scheduling office what, if anything, can still be arranged here, and about open national cemeteries nearby.

Where is the Ashland Cemetery Soldiers' Lot burial schedule?

VA posts a daily burial schedule for every national cemetery. Search it for Ashland Cemetery Soldiers' Lot to see the committal services planned there. It only lists burials whose families agreed to publish them. To change or cancel a burial that's already scheduled, contact Ashland Cemetery Soldiers' Lot directly at 717-865-5254.

Headstone, flag and burial allowance

• Government headstone or marker: tell the scheduling office which headstone, marker, niche cover or medallion you want when you schedule the burial.
• Burial flag: VA Form 27-2008.
• Burial allowance: For a non-service-connected death on or after October 1, 2026, VA pays up to $1,032 toward burial and funeral costs and $1,032 for a plot; for a service-connected death on or after September 11, 2001, the burial allowance is up to $2,000. Claim it with VA Form 21P-530EZ. All benefits

After the funeral: survivor benefits and the estate

A surviving spouse, child or parent may qualify for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), a tax-free monthly VA benefit, for example when the death was service connected (VA Form 21P-534EZ). The veteran's estate is settled under Pennsylvania law; our sister site ProbateUS explains how probate works in Pennsylvania and lists each county's probate court. For the rest of the paperwork, from Social Security to bank accounts, DeathUS has a step-by-step checklist of what to do when someone dies.

Nearest cemeteries

The three veterans cemeteries closest to Ashland Cemetery Soldiers' Lot, by straight-line distance:

• Prospect Hill Cemetery Soldiers' Lot, York, PA: 28 mi, closed to new in-ground burials
• Indiantown Gap National Cemetery, Annville, PA: 36 mi, open for burials
• Garrison Forest Veterans Cemetery, Owings Mills, MD: 57 mi, open for burials