Prescott National Cemetery

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

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

History of Prescott National Cemetery

Prescott National Cemetery is located in Prescott, AZ, adjacent to the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The cemetery, which closed to new interments in 1974, covers a little over 15 acres. Interments were made here primarily because it was a conveniently safe distance from Fort Whipple, Arizona, where attacks from local Native Americans were more likely.

The present site of Prescott National Cemetery is thought to be its third location. The original cemetery was established when Fort Whipple was a camp near Del Rio Springs in 1864, and was moved soon after. The cemetery was relocated again in 1869 to its current location because flash floods washed out numerous burials in the previous site. These floods may account for the majority of the 25 unknown graves in the cemetery.

Prescott National Cemetery was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.

Monuments and Memorials Prescott National Cemetery has an Unknown Soldiers Monument made of white marble rusticated to look like blocks with a centered cross on top.

Notable interments

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

Directions

From Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix, take Interstate 17 North (Flagstaff) and proceed to Cordes Junction for approximately 60 miles. Take Highway 69 West toward Prescott for approximately 34 miles. The cemetery is located on the left on Highway 69 as you approach Prescott.

Flowers and grounds rules

Flowers: At the time of your loved one's burial, a maximum of four fresh floral arrangements or sprays may accompany the casket or urn. These will be placed on the completed grave after the interment. Items will be removed from gravesites when they appear withered, faded, unsafe, offensive, encroach on adjacent gravesites, or are otherwise unsightly.

Fresh-cut and artificial flowers may be placed on graves at any time. Arrangements may not be more than 24" high. They cannot cover the marker or encroach upon adjacent gravesites.

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

Where is the Prescott National Cemetery burial schedule?

VA posts a daily burial schedule for every national cemetery. Search it for Prescott 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 Prescott National Cemetery directly at 928-717-7569.

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

• Arizona Veterans Memorial Cemetery at Camp Navajo, Bellemont, AZ: 58 mi, open for burials
• National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, Phoenix, AZ: 64 mi, open for burials
• Arizona Veterans Memorial Cemetery at Marana, Marana, AZ: 159 mi, open for burials