Fort Mackinac Post Cemetery

Fort Mackinac Post Cemetery is a VA national cemetery in Mackinac Island, Michigan. 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 Fort Mackinac Post Cemetery

Located in the Straights of Mackinac, which connect Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, Mackinac Island played a significant role in early American history due to its strategic location. Control of the island changed hands numerous times leading up to and after the establishment of the American republic. The French first occupied Mackinac Island in the 17th century, surrendering it to the British after the French and Indian War. The British fortified the island toward the end of the Revolutionary War, yielding it to the United States in 1796. British forces recaptured the fort at the outbreak of the War of 1812, only to relinquish control to the Americans again at the cessation of the war.

Fort Mackinac Post Cemetery is located approximately a half mile north of Fort Mackinac, near Skull Cave, a burial site for American Indians. The earliest interments in the post cemetery likely date to the mid-1820's. The military occupation of Fort Mackinac throughout the 18th century suggests there was an earlier post cemetery, yet the location of pre-1820’s burials remains elusive. The earliest interments are located on the north and west sides of the post cemetery, which was enlarged between 1873 and 1890.

In 1875, in response to the increasing popularity of Mackinac Island as a tourist destination, the federal government established Mackinac Island National Park. It was the second national park established in the United States, after Yellowstone National Park. With the close of Fort Mackinac in 1895, military operations on the island came to a halt, and the federal government ceded the park to the state of Michigan.

Throughout most of the 20th century, the state maintained the grounds, save for a period in the late 1930's, when the Civilian Conservation Corps, a New Deal work-relief program, landscaped and improved the cemetery. In 1990, the Department of Veterans Affairs assumed responsibility for the maintenance of the cemetery through an agreement with the state.

Today, the rectangular post cemetery is bounded by a white picket fence with a wooden archway marking the entrance. Of the approximately 108 burials in Fort Mackinac Post Cemetery, 69 are unknown. In addition to the soldiers and their families, six civilians are interred at the post cemetery.

Mackinac Island, Michigan, including Fort Mackinac Post Cemetery, was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1960.

Directions

Directions from Detroit Metropolitan Airport: From the Airport, merge onto I-94 W toward Chicago; Merge onto I-275 N via Exit 194 toward Flint; Merge onto I-96 W via the exit on the left toward Lansing; Merge onto US 23 N via Exit 148B toward Flint; take I-75 to Mackinaw City, MI; take the James St exit into downtown. In Mackinaw City take the ferry landing exit. Take the ferry (fee charged) to Mackinac Island. Cemetery is located behind the fort.

Directions from Bishop International Airport (Flint, MI): Go East on W Bristol Rd toward Torrey Rd; take the I-75 N / US 23 N ramp toward Saginaw. Stay on I-75 / US 23 N to mackinaw City, MI. In Mackinaw City take the ferry landing exit. Take the ferry (fee charged) to Mackinac Island. Cemetery is located behind the fort.

Flowers and grounds rules

Floral arrangements are not authorized at any time in the cemetery.

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

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

Where is the Fort Mackinac Post Cemetery burial schedule?

VA posts a daily burial schedule for every national cemetery. Search it for Fort Mackinac Post 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 Fort Mackinac Post Cemetery directly at 248-328-0386.

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 Michigan law; our sister site ProbateUS explains how probate works in Michigan 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 Fort Mackinac Post Cemetery, by straight-line distance:

• Great Lakes National Cemetery, Holly, MI: 212 mi, open for burials
• Lakeside Cemetery Soldiers' Lot, Port Huron, MI: 223 mi, closed to new in-ground burials
• Northwoods National Cemetery, Harshaw, WI: 244 mi, open for burials