Baltimore National Cemetery

Baltimore National Cemetery is a VA national cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland. Burial is free for eligible veterans, their spouses and dependent children.

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

History of Baltimore National Cemetery

Baltimore National Cemetery is located in the Beechfield neighborhood of Baltimore City's southwestern corner. The cemetery straddles the border between the city and Baltimore County. It was one of seven national cemeteries created between the world wars, 1934–1939. It was the Army's first major expansion since the Civil War directed at serving a growing veteran population and the rapidly depleting burial space at existing national cemeteries. Unlike previous new cemeteries, locations were based on veterans' places of residence, especially in or near large cities. The other interwar national cemeteries are Long Island, New York; Fort Bliss and Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Fort Snelling, Minnesota; and Fort Rosecrans and Golden Gate, California.

The site occupied by Baltimore National Cemetery was an historic estate called Cloud Capped (or Cap), which occupied an elevated setting adjacent to Frederick Road as early as 1750. The Frederick Road provided Baltimore with a connection to the National Road, the nation's first major overland route and commercial artery. The property was part of the holdings of the Baltimore Company (Iron Ore) and Charles Carroll of Carrollton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Cloud Capped residents apparently observed the attacking British fleet sailing toward Fort McHenry in 1814, and sent a messenger to warn the city of the impending Battle of Baltimore, which inspired Francis Scott Key's "Star-Spangled Banner." In 1890, when socially prominent Blanchard and Susan Randall acquired the estate as a summer home, its 90 acres were studded with mature specimen trees. Cloud Capped was enlarged through multiple additions over the years. A cottage and stable, adapted for use by the cemetery, were also constructed. A railroad stop near the property made it easily accessible to downtown Baltimore in the late 1800s.

By the onset of the Great Depression, Baltimore was the eighth-largest city in the country, with an estimated 30,000 World War I (1917–1918) veterans. The War Department estimated that nearby Loudon Park National Cemetery, the only national cemetery serving area veterans, would close to interments before 1940. Originally, the War Department intended to expand Loudon Park National Cemetery, established in 1862 to avoid the complication of establishing a new cemetery. But by May 1936, the U.S. Congress passed an appropriations bill funding a new one in the Baltimore area. The army considered six sites but determined that Cloud Capped was the most appropriate for several reasons. The property was adjacent to Frederick Road, the city streetcar line had easy access, the acreage ensured it would be active for "a number of years," trees sufficiently surrounded the parcel, the grade was level enough for burials, some Cloud Capped buildings were suitable to be adapted for cemeterial use, and the price was right. At the time, a local reporter envisioned it to be Maryland's "Little Arlington."

The initial and largest construction phase at Baltimore National Cemetery took place between February 10, 1937, and August 15, 1938. This consisted of the demolition of most of the mansion and erection of the "new" superintendent's lodge using materials salvaged from Cloud Capped's oldest wing, renovation of the cottage and stables, and initial landscaping activities such as grading, topsoiling, and removal or transplant of trees. Labor from the New Deal Work Projects Administration (WPA) was used extensively.

The first interment in Baltimore National Cemetery, George Edward Culver, took place on December 22, 1936, in an area that was cleared prior to the War Department's purchase of the property. The cemetery was dedicated on Memorial Day, May 30, 1941, with ceremonies commencing at Baltimore's Lafayette Square, led by World War I African-American veterans affiliated with American Legion Post No. 14.

From 1938–1940, separate WPA projects continued to develop aspects of Baltimore National Cemetery while contractors undertook other projects. In late 1938, the local Edgar Levi Iron Works fabricated the iron entrance gates; architectural sculptors Lombard and Ludwig, Inc., fabricated stone carvings, including the U.S. National Cemetery plaque and the stone capitals for the posts. The next year, A. Dixon Carey furnished the 75-foot-steel flagpole and limestone base. Levering Brothers, Inc. fabricated the bronze General Orders No. 80, National Cemetery Act, Memorial Day Order, and "Gettysburg Address" plaques; the David M. Andrew Co. installed the plaques on granite stands in November 1939.

In 1951, the Department of Defense proposed to purchase nearly 54 acres to expand Baltimore National Cemetery, but it was canceled because the cost exceeded budget estimates. The same year, an open rostrum space was developed around the flagpole that included limestone walkways, benches, a semicircular masonry platform with a lectern, and landscaping. Twenty years later, this was largely removed to create more burial space. Subsequently, the surviving retaining wall serves as the rostrum area.

Baltimore National Cemetery was among the seven busiest national cemeteries in the system following World War II (1941–1945). The demand for interment here grew dramatically in 1967 after Arlington National Cemetery enacted restrictions on burial at that cemetery. As a result, many veterans living in the Mid-Atlantic region who previously requested burial in Arlington National Cemetery, were diverted to Baltimore. This contributed to Baltimore National Cemetery's closure in 1970 except for burials in reserved gravesites or second interments in existing graves.

Today, at approximately 72 acres with 45,996 remains, Baltimore National Cemetery is the smallest of the Inter-World War national cemeteries in both size and graves. Veterans of World War II comprise the largest number of interments, followed by World War I veterans.

Baltimore is one of more than eighty VA national cemeteries that use upright headstones and flat grave markers in separate burial sections. The cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.

Monuments and Memorials Installed between 1994 and 1996 in a semicircle inside the rostrum wall is a memorial group of six standard granite die-and-base monuments and an interpretive plaque that commemorates the 1st through 6th Marine Divisions of World War II.

Notable interments

The National Cemetery Administration lists these people of note buried at Baltimore National Cemetery, with section and site where recorded.

Directions

From Baltimore/Washington International Airport, proceed to Interstate 295 North. Exit Interstate 295 to Baltimore Beltway 695 west exit 13 (Frederick Avenue). Travel one mile to cemetery on your right.

Flowers and grounds rules

The placement of floral items on graves other than on the day of interment is subject to the following conditions:

1. Fresh cut flowers may be placed on graves at any time. Temporary flower containers (vases) are available in bins throughout the cemetery.

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 Baltimore National Cemetery.

A National Cemetery System Baltimore National Cemetery

Who can be buried at Baltimore National Cemetery?

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 Baltimore National Cemetery?

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 Baltimore National Cemetery and a date. National cemeteries hold burials Monday through Friday.

Where is the Baltimore National Cemetery burial schedule?

VA posts a daily burial schedule for every national cemetery. Search it for Baltimore National Cemetery 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 Baltimore National Cemetery directly at 410-644-9696.

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 Maryland law; our sister site ProbateUS explains how probate works in Maryland 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 Baltimore National Cemetery, by straight-line distance:

• Loudon Park National Cemetery, Baltimore, MD: 2 mi, closed to new in-ground burials
• Garrison Forest Veterans Cemetery, Owings Mills, MD: 12 mi, open for burials
• Crownsville Veterans Cemetery, Crownsville, MD: 16 mi, open for burials