Danville National Cemetery

Danville National Cemetery is a VA national cemetery in Danville, Kentucky. 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 Danville National Cemetery

Danville National Cemetery is located within the municipal Bellevue Cemetery in the city of Danville, Boyle County, Kentucky. Danville is the county seat, situated about 40 miles south of Frankfort. The Dix River, a primary watershed and a principal geographic reference during the late 18th century, is located three miles east of the city. Walker Daniel laid out the town in 1783–1784, and gave the community its name. Danville was chartered in 1787 by the legislature of the Commonwealth of Virginia; it was among the first incorporated settlements in what was then the county of Kentucky.

Kentucky's first governor, Isaac Shelby, made his home just outside of Danville. The city hosted Kentucky's first Constitutional Convention in 1784; after nine additional meetings, the original constitution of the Commonwealth of Kentucky was adopted in 1792. Later that same year, the state capital was relocated to Frankfort.

Bellevue Cemetery was established in the 1840s, and was originally known as Danville City Cemetery. At the beginning of the Civil War, the federal government appropriated 18 lots in the cemetery from the city. In 1876, the small rectangular soldiers' lot was designated a national cemetery.

Danville National Cemetery encompasses less than a half-acre in the northwest corner of Bellevue Cemetery. Each corner of the federal property is marked with a square post inscribed with the letters "U.S." on the upper face. There is a centrally located U.S. flagpole. The cemetery is divided into six burial sections; five for soldiers and one for the interment of civilians. Most of the initial interments were Union soldiers who died in several Danville hospitals, including one set up in the courthouse; the rest of the burials were primarily reinterments from regional cemeteries. A Confederate lot in the Bellevue Cemetery with 66 interments adjoins the national cemetery. Bellevue Cemetery continues to be operated by the city of Danville and remains open for burials.

Directions

The cemetery is located approximately 38 miles from Lexington Blue Grass Airport. Travel East Man O' War to Nicholasville Road/Highway 27 South; exit onto Highway 34 West to Danville, KY. Bear to your right onto Lexington Avenue. Turn right onto North First Street and travel three blocks to Bellevue Cemetery. Danville National Cemetery is located within Bellevue Cemetery.

Flowers and grounds rules

Danville National Cemetery is not responsible for any items left at gravesites.

Floral arrangements (up to six arrangements only) accompanying the casket or urn at the time of burial will be placed on the completed gravesite by cemetery staff. Natural cut flowers may be placed on graves at any time of the year. They will be removed when they become unsightly or when it becomes necessary to facilitate cemetery operations such as mowing.

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 Danville National Cemetery.

A National Cemetery System Danville National Cemetery, KY

Who can be buried at Danville 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 Danville 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 Danville National Cemetery and a date. National cemeteries hold burials Monday through Friday.

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

Where is the Danville National Cemetery burial schedule?

VA posts a daily burial schedule for every national cemetery. Search it for Danville 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 Danville National Cemetery directly at 859-885-5727.

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

• Camp Nelson National Cemetery, Nicholasville, KY: 13 mi, open for burials
• Lebanon National Cemetery, Lebanon, KY: 28 mi, open for burials
• Lexington National Cemetery, Lexington, KY: 32 mi, closed to new in-ground burials