Oakdale Cemetery Soldiers' Lot

Oakdale Cemetery Soldiers' Lot is a VA national cemetery in Davenport, Iowa. 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 Oakdale Cemetery Soldiers' Lot

Oakdale Cemetery was incorporated on May 14, 1856, in Davenport, Iowa, by a group of local businessmen. The original 40-acre plot has grown over time, and today the cemetery is composed of 78.3 acres. Jazz musician Bix Beiderbecke, who grew up in Davenport, is among the prominent local citizens interred in the cemetery.

The soldiers' lot is located in Lot 14 of Oakdale Memorial Gardens, as the cemetery is known today. Originally, soldiers were interred in multiple areas of the cemetery, before the burials were consolidated into the soldiers' lot. As of December 1865, 174 Civil War soldiers were buried in the soldiers' lot.

Around 1888, roughly 160 remains in Oakdale Cemetery were removed to Rock Island and Keokuk National Cemeteries. In 1900, the remaining interments were consolidated into the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) plot within the cemetery, the location of all subsequent government burials. In 1940, the GAR conveyed all interests in the plot to the Oakdale Cemetery Association, and the United States acquired the lot in 1941. Today, interments within the soldiers' lot include 71 Civil War dead, seven of whom were killed during the Battle of Fort Donelson, Tennessee, and were the first Iowan casualties of the Civil War.

Directions

From the Quad-Cities Airport: Take Interstate 74 West (See Note below). After crossing the Mississippi River, take the Locust Street/Middle Road exit. Drive West on Locust Street to Eastern Avenue. Turn right (North) and you'll find the Oakdale Memorial Gardens a short distance on the right (East) side of the road.

From the West: Follow Interstate 80 East to Interstate 74 East. Take Interstate 74 East to the Locust Street/Middle Road exit. Drive West on Locust Street to Eastern Avenue. Turn right (North) and you'll find the Oakdale Memorial Gardens a short distance on the right (East) side of the road.

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. 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 Oakdale Soldiers' Lot.

A National Cemetery System Oakdale Soldiers' Lot

Who can be buried at Oakdale Cemetery Soldiers' Lot?

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 Oakdale Cemetery Soldiers' Lot?

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 Oakdale Cemetery Soldiers' Lot and a date. National cemeteries hold burials Monday through Friday.

VA lists Oakdale Cemetery Soldiers' Lot as closed. Ask the scheduling office what, if anything, can still be arranged here, and about open national cemeteries nearby.

Where is the Oakdale Cemetery Soldiers' Lot burial schedule?

VA posts a daily burial schedule for every national cemetery. Search it for Oakdale Cemetery Soldiers' Lot 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 Oakdale Cemetery Soldiers' Lot directly at 309-784-0000.

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 Oakdale Cemetery Soldiers' Lot, by straight-line distance:

• Rock Island Confederate Cemetery, Rock Island, IL: 2 mi, closed to new in-ground burials
• Rock Island National Cemetery, Rock Island, IL: 2 mi, open for burials
• Keokuk National Cemetery Annex, Keokuk, IA: 91 mi, open for burials