Fort Worden Post Cemetery

Fort Worden Post Cemetery is a VA national cemetery in Port Townsend, Washington. 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 Worden Post Cemetery

Construction of the Fort Worden military defense installation began in 1896. It was one of three major fortifications protecting Puget Sound. The three, Fort Casey, Fort Flagler, and Fort Worden eventually became known as the triangle of fire, protecting the Puget Sound entrance from feared Spanish American War naval attacks, and any naval attacks from other nations.

Fort Worden was activated in May 1902 and was named for a naval officer, Admiral John Lorimer Worden (1818–1897), captain of the ironclad Civil War vessel USS Monitor.

The first troops arrived in May 1902 and Fort Worden was fully operational in 1905 as the Headquarters of the Puget Sound Harbor Defense Command. On June 2, 1902, one month after post activation, the first death occurred. Private Elisha Webb (1879–1902) of McMinn County, Tennessee died of illness. Private Webb was a soldier in the 126th Coast Artillery and he was buried in the new cemetery.

In 1903 the Secretary of War directed that Fort Worden be the official burial grounds for the three Puget Sound harbor defense forts. Since then, the cemetery has over 430 interments that include service members, spouses and dependents from the Spanish American War to current engagements.

In 1908, a monument named the Soldiers' Monument was erected in the cemetery. It had a pivot gun off the revenue cutter Jefferson Davis placed on a concrete pedestal. The monument honors all those who died in the service of this nation. During a scrap metal drive for World War II the pivot gun was removed and melted down for the war effort. It was replaced with a 1918 German howitzer. The gun and pedestal, along with the American Flag, are the center features of the cemetery.

In World War I artillery Soldiers going to European battlefields trained here. Between the wars the post had a small force and rearmed. In World War II the Fort was home to the 14th Coast Artillery Regiment and the joint Navy-Army Harbor Defense Command. Emphasis shifted to anti-aircraft artillery. Outdated coastal artillery was scrapped.

After World War II, Fort Worden was determined to be obsolete and the Harbor Defense Command closed in June 1953. In 1957 Washington State purchased the property for a youth treatment center. Budget cuts in 1971 closed the youth treatment center and it then became a Washington state park. The cemetery was not included in the land transfer and remained an active Army cemetery until transferred to the National Cemetery Administration in August 2020.

Directions

The closest airport is William R Fairchild International Airport (CLM), which is approximately 62 miles from Ft. Worden Post Cemetery.

Depart William R Fairchild International Airport: 1402 Fairchild Airport Rd, Port Angeles, WA 98363.

Flowers and grounds rules

Cemetery policies are conspicuously posted and readily visible to the public.

The cemetery staff will place three floral arrangements, which accompanied the urn at the time of burial, on the completed grave. Natural cut flowers may be placed on graves at any time of the year and will be removed when they become unsightly or when it becomes necessary to facilitate cemetery operations such as mowing.

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

VA lists Fort Worden 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 Worden Post Cemetery burial schedule?

VA posts a daily burial schedule for every national cemetery. Search it for Fort Worden 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 Worden Post Cemetery directly at 425-413-9614.

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

• Fort Lawton Post Cemetery, Seattle, WA: 37 mi, closed to new in-ground burials
• Tahoma National Cemetery, Kent, WA: 60 mi, open for burials
• Fort Stevens National Cemetery, Hammond, OR: 145 mi, open for burials