New Albany National Cemetery

New Albany National Cemetery is a VA national cemetery in New Albany, Indiana. Burial is free for eligible veterans, their spouses and dependent children.

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

History of New Albany National Cemetery

New Albany National Cemetery is located New Albany, IN, just across the Ohio River from Louisville, KY. Founded just below the Falls of the Ohio, New Albany was first settled in the early 1800s by farmers who recognized the town's potential as a transportation and ship-building hub. The first settlers in the region named the territory after the capital of their home state, New York. Prior to construction of the locks on the Louisville side of the river, New Albany was one of the largest cities in the Midwest due to its river location. Riverboat building and glass manufacturing were important industries. In 1858, Ashbel P. Willard, governor of Indiana and a New Albany resident, dedicated the Floyd County Fairground, and the following year the Indiana State Fair came to town. During the Civil War, the fairground was converted into Camp Noble where local regiments were mustered. New Albany became a strategic supply and training center for the Union troops fighting in the South, and a hospital center for the wounded being sent north, as well as part of the Underground Railroad for slaves escaping from the South.

New Albany National Cemetery was established in 1862 to accommodate the burial of soldiers posted at the training center. It was also intended for the reinterment of Union soldiers who died in local hospitals and were buried in nearby gravesites and soldier's plots. Most of the reinterments came from West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky and Indiana. The original 5.5 acres were purchased from Dr. Charles Bowman in early 1862. By November 1870, more than 2,000 known dead and 698 unknowns were buried at New Albany. According to a 1870s inspection report, the African-American men of the U.S. Colored Troops were buried in segregated sections from their fellow soldiers.

Today a suburban residential community envelops the cemetery, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.

Notable interments

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

Directions

Take Interstate 65 North to US 62 (Spring Street) West to Silver Street. Travel North on Silver Street to Ekin Avenue and then West on Ekin Avenue to the cemetery.

Flowers and grounds rules

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

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

A National Cemetery System New Albany National Cemetery

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

Where is the New Albany National Cemetery burial schedule?

VA posts a daily burial schedule for every national cemetery. Search it for New Albany 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 New Albany National Cemetery directly at 502-893-3852.

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

• Cave Hill National Cemetery, Louisville, KY: 6 mi, closed to new in-ground burials
• Zachary Taylor National Cemetery, Louisville, KY: 9 mi, closed to new in-ground burials
• Kentucky Veterans Cemetery - Central, Radcliff, KY: 31 mi, open for burials