Fort Meade National Cemetery

Fort Meade National Cemetery is a VA national cemetery in Sturgis, South Dakota. 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 Meade National Cemetery

Fort Meade National Cemetery is located approximately two miles east of the Department of Veterans Affairs Fort Meade Hospital, South Dakota. The Quartermaster Corps established the 2-acre cemetery here on September 24, 1878, and the first interment was made on the same day. The cemetery closed 70 years later after only 188 interments.

Fort Meade was built in 1878 by the surviving troops of General George Armstrong Custer's 7th Cavalry, to keep the peace among the Lakota and Cheyenne tribes and the prospectors. It was named in honor of Major General George G. Meade, whose victory in the Battle of Gettysburg was a turning point in the Civil War. In addition to being the home of the horse Comanche, sole cavalry survivor of the Battle of Little Big Horn, Fort Meade was also the birthplace of the national anthem. In 1892, Colonel Caleb Carton, appalled by the lack of a national anthem, ordered that the "Star-Spangled Banner" be played at the close of all concerts and parades, and later brought this effort to the attention of authorities in Washington, D.C. Subsequently, Secretary of War Daniel E. Lamont issued an order requiring the "Star-Spangled Banner" played at every army post every evening at retreat. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed an executive order making the "Star Spangled Banner" America's national anthem, and in 1931 the bill was signed into law.

Fort Meade National Cemetery contains both government-furnished headstones and private monuments installed by family or friends. As a result, there are a number of distinctive gravesites, including some enclosed by wooden boards and ornamental pipe fencing. The diversity of the graves reflects the array of those laid to rest at Fort Meade. Enclosed by a wrought-iron fence, for example, is the gravesite of Otto Von Wargowski, only 30 when he died and apparently a member of the Prussian nobility. Not far away are two side-by-side graves marked as "Child of Civilian Refugee" and "Lucy, Child, Sioux Indian."

Fort Meade National Cemetery was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 22, 1973.

Monuments and Memorials An obelisk monument honors the memory of two soldiers from the 7th cavalry who, according to legend, died as a result of drinking wood alcohol while on patrol.

Bivouac of the Dead erected 2004.

Notable interments

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

Directions

From Interstate 90 Exit 34, turn right to the gravel goad, Bureau of Land Management Road, east approximately four miles. Cemetery is on the right. From South Dakota Highway 34/78, one mile east of Sturgis is a gravel road to the cemetery that has a sign stating Fort Meade National Cemetery. This is near the west gate at Fort Meade VA Medical Center. Follow the gravel road approximately 1½ miles. Cemetery is on the left.

Flowers and grounds rules

You can place fresh cut flowers on your loved one's grave throughout the year.

Floral items will be removed from graves when they become faded or unsightly. They may also be removed to allow mowing.

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

VA lists Fort Meade 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 Fort Meade National Cemetery burial schedule?

VA posts a daily burial schedule for every national cemetery. Search it for Fort Meade 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 Fort Meade National Cemetery directly at 605-347-3830.

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

• Black Hills National Cemetery, Sturgis, SD: 3 mi, open for burials
• Hot Springs National Cemetery, Hot Springs, SD: 66 mi, closed to new in-ground burials
• Akicita Owicahe Lakota Freedom Veterans Cemetery, Kyle, SD: 94 mi, open for burials