Quincy National Cemetery

Quincy National Cemetery is a VA national cemetery in Quincy, Illinois. 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 Quincy National Cemetery

The Quincy National Cemetery originated as a Civil War-era soldiers' lot within the Woodland Cemetery in Quincy, IL. Burials began as early as 1861, but title to the soldiers' lot was not transferred until 1870 when the City of Quincy donated the quarter-acre parcel of land within Woodland Cemetery to the U.S. Government. In March 1873, 4 gun monuments and 64 shot pieces (cannonballs) were ordered to be placed as decorative objects at the soldiers' lot. The gun monuments came from the New York Arsenal: the shot from the Allegheny Arsenal in Pennsylvania. In the spring of 1882, new government-issued marble headstones were erected at the graves of the 221 Union soldiers interred in the lot. The soldiers' lot was elevated to the status of a national cemetery by virtue of Army General Orders No. 84 on July 24, 1882.

The first superintendent assigned to manage the new national cemetery in Quincy was Martin Easley, a disabled Civil War veteran who served with the 21st Regiment, Company K, of the Missouri Volunteers. Easley's certificate of disability stated that he suffered from "partial paralysis of the upper extremities, the result of variola [smallpox] contracted in the service." Easley was strongly recommended to the Army by the John Wood chapter of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) and was appointed superintendent for Quincy National Cemetery on October 20, 1882. Easley's strong GAR endorsement came at a high price, though, and he soon found himself at the center of a scandal. Based upon charges made against Easley, the War Department launched an investigation and found that Easley "had received the endorsement of the [GAR] post for his appointment upon the condition that he was to pay the Post fund the whole of his annual salary ($720), except $200.00." As a result, Easley's appointment was cancelled on January 30, 1883, barely three months after his appointment, and care for the cemetery was contracted out at a cost of $25.00 per year. On December 12, 1887, the Honorable G.A. Anderson [U.S. House of Representatives] reported "that there is no necessity for a Superintendent at Quincy, Ills., nor at any other of the small cemeteries, similarly situated."

By 1890, the Quincy National Cemetery was described as a lot measuring 92 feet by 124 feet within Woodland Cemetery, "enclosed by a dressed limestone curbing on 3 sides and by a picket board fence and an osage orange hedge 5 feet 6 inches high on the fourth or north side. There were 243 interments with 217 headstones provided by the government, 13 provided by friends, and 13 recent interments with stones."

No explanation has been found why, but in 1899, the Quincy National Cemetery was moved. The U.S. government purchased a lot in Graceland Cemetery for the purpose of re-interring nearly 300 soldier remains from the Woodland Cemetery lot into the new lot. The burial plot was, once again, a soldiers' lot within a private cemetery and remained so for 37 years. By the 1920s, the Graceland Cemetery was known as the Quincy Graceland Cemetery.

The first superintendent to oversee the soldiers' lot at the new location in the Quincy Graceland Cemetery was T. Chester Poling. Poling was appointed as "authorized caretaker, or acting superintendent, of the Soldiers' Lot, Quincy Graceland Cemetery, Quincy, Illinois, and his compensation for these services [was] fixed at the rate of $100, per annum, payable quarterly, effective July 1, 1924."

In 1936, the 0.45 acre soldiers' lot was officially designated as Quincy National Cemetery and has remained a national cemetery since that time. According to a plat of the cemetery drawn in 1936, the site included three gun monuments, a flagpole, a flower urn, an ordnance tablet, and three "concrete monuments" on three corners of the lot. At an unknown later date, a fence was erected around the cemetery's perimeter. The site never had a superintendent's lodge or other outbuildings constructed on it.

During 1949, a survey of the cemetery was conducted and revealed that mistakes occurred in the erection of the perimeter fence. A portion of the government's land was not fenced, while a portion of the Quincy Graceland's property inadvertently was fenced. In 1953, it took an act of Congress, Public Law 116, to correct the boundaries to suitable satisfaction of both property owners.

Since the mid-20th century, modern changes including new roadways and residential developments were constructed which dissected various parcels of the Quincy Graceland Cemetery. The Quincy National Cemetery now appears as an independent and free-standing cemetery. The cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 7, 2011.

Directions

The nearest commercial airport is the Quincy, IL, Airport. From the airport, turn right onto Highway 104 to Quincy. Follow Highway 104 (Broadway St) west to 36th St. Turn left on 36th St and travel south to Maine St. Turn left on Maine St and travel east 1/4 mile. The cemetery entrance is on the left side of the street. The cemetery is in Adams County.

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 Quincy National Cemetery.

A National Cemetery System Quincy National Cemetery

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

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

Where is the Quincy National Cemetery burial schedule?

VA posts a daily burial schedule for every national cemetery. Search it for Quincy 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 Quincy National Cemetery 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 Illinois law; our sister site ProbateUS explains how probate works in Illinois 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 Quincy National Cemetery, by straight-line distance:

• Sunset Veterans Cemetery, Quincy, IL: 2 mi, open for burials
• Keokuk National Cemetery, Keokuk, IA: 32 mi, open for burials
• Keokuk National Cemetery Annex, Keokuk, IA: 32 mi, open for burials