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VA National Cemetery

Keokuk National Cemetery

1701 J Street · Keokuk, IA 52632

Open for burial

Keokuk National Cemetery is a VA national cemetery in Keokuk, Iowa. VA lists it as open for burials. Burial is free for eligible veterans, their spouses and dependent children.

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

History of Keokuk National Cemetery

Until 1837, the sole inhabitants of the area that is now the town of Keokuk, IA, were members of the Sauk and Fox tribes. In 1837, however, the tribes agreed to a treaty that allowed limited settlement of white farmers. Shortly after the treaty went into effect, white settlers began to migrate into the area. But the greatest number of settlers did not arrive until 1842 when a second treaty compelled the Fox and Sauk to move farther west. The treaty would go into effect in May 1842, although white settlers had begun camping along the county border a month earlier. Subsequently, at one minute after midnight on May 1, anxious settlers rushed in to stake their land claims.

By the beginning of the Civil War, Keokuk was home to a population of approximately 13,000 people. Its location, at the confluence of the Des Moines and Mississippi rivers, made an ideal location for the transportation of produce for the war. The first Civil War facility in Iowa was Camp Ellsworth, located near Keokuk, where troops were mustered as early as May 1861. More posts, including Camps Rankin, Halleck and Lincoln were established in 1861 and 1862. As the war progressed, five Army hospitals were established in the area to help care for the thousands of sick and wounded soldiers transported up the Mississippi River from Southern battlefields. Most of the original interments at Keokuk National Cemetery came from these hospitals.

The 2.75-acre Keokuk National Cemetery was originally a part of Oakland Cemetery until the city donated the land to the U.S. government in the mid 19th-century. According to an 1871 inspection report, just after the Civil War there were 627 interments; 600 known Union soldiers and 27 unknown soldiers. Not mentioned in the report were the remains of eight Confederate soldiers buried at the national cemetery, who died in Keokuk as prisoners of war.

In 1908, when the frontier post of Fort Yates, ND, was abandoned, the remains buried at this post cemetery were reinterred at Keokuk. Similarly, in 1948, 156 bodies removed from the post cemetery at Des Moines, IA, were reinterred here.

Keokuk National Cemetery was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.

Monuments and Memorials The Unknown Soldiers monument was erected in 1912 by the Women's Corps of Keokuk in honor of 48 unknown soldiers buried at the cemetery. The monument is a large granite obelisk topped with the figure of a Union soldier standing at parade rest.

The American War Dads and Auxiliaries of Iowa erected a bronze wreath dedicated to Unknown Soldiers. Date of dedication is unknown.

Notable interments

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

Medal of Honor

The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force that can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States.

Recipients receive the Medal of Honor from the President on behalf of Congress. It was first awarded during the Civil War and the eligibility criteria, medal design, and recognition on a recipients' grave marker have all evolved over time. There are 434 Medal of Honor recipients interred at VA national cemeteries including 6 double recipients.

Medal of Honor recipients interred or memorialized here:

Private First Class John F.

Thorson (World War II). He received the Medal of Honor posthumously for service in the U.S. Army, Company G, 17th Infantry, 7th Infantry Division, in recognition of courage and self-sacrifice in the attack on Dagami, Leyte, Philippine Islands, October 28, 1944. Thorson is buried in Section D, Site 71.

Other Burials

Born in Cork, Ireland, Michael Crowe (1849–1883) emigrated to New York as a young man and enlisted in the U.S.

Army in 1867. Initially Private Crowe served with the 34th Infantry as a wagoneer, then he transferred to the 7th Cavalry just before the Great Sioux War of 1876 in which Sioux and Cheyenne Indian tribes engaged federal troops to preserve their culture and lands in the Black Hills. On June 25–26, the 7th U.S. Cavalry, under the command of Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer, took the offensive. In the infamous Battle of Little Bighorn, Custer and one-third of his men died. Crowe survived and remained in the army until his death in 1883. Pvt. Crowe was buried in the post cemetery at Fort Yates (ND), which was decommissioned in 1903; in 1908 his remains were reinterred in Keokuk National Cemetery .

Section H, Site 796

First Sergeant Columbus H.

McCaa, Troop G, 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry, Date of Death July 6, 1946 . First Sergeant McCaa, a member of Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders, participated in the San Juan Hill Campaign.

Section H, Site 1151

Directions

The nearest commercial airport is the Quincy, IL airport. From the airport, turn right onto Route 104, take 104 to Route 96. Follow Route 96 from Quincy to Hamilton, IL (35 miles). At the intersections of Routes 96 and 136, turn left. Follow Route 136 for approximately 1.5 miles, cross the Mississippi River; the City of Keokuk begins here. Continue through Keokuk on Main Street, which is also Highway 218/61, to the intersection of Main and 18th street, turn left on 18th Street. The street ends at the original section of Keokuk National Cemetery. Continue through the adjacent Oakland Cemetery to the first left. The Western section and administration building are at the next left.

Flowers and grounds rules

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

Floral Arrangements: Floral arrangements accompanying the casket or urn at the time of burial will be placed on the completed grave. 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 Keokuk National Cemetery.

A National Cemetery System Keokuk National Cemetery

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

Where is the Keokuk National Cemetery burial schedule?

VA posts a daily burial schedule for every national cemetery. Search it for Keokuk 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 Keokuk National Cemetery directly at 319-524-5193.

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

Funeral homes near Keokuk National Cemetery

A funeral director usually arranges the burial with the cemetery. These are the closest funeral homes by straight-line distance. Each one links to its full listing on FuneralUS, our funeral home directory.

  1. 1.0 mi from the cemetery
  2. 1.1 mi from the cemetery
  3. 1.1 mi from the cemetery
  4. 3.1 mi from the cemetery
  5. 3.4 mi from the cemetery
  6. 9.0 mi from the cemetery

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