Raleigh National Cemetery

Raleigh National Cemetery is a VA national cemetery in Raleigh, North Carolina. 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 Raleigh National Cemetery

Created as a planned city in 1792, the area now known as Raleigh, NC, was a handful of sparse settlements as early as the 1760s. Enterprising landholders like Isaac Hunter and Joel Lane owned large tracts of farmland and operated taverns near their homes to accommodate travelers along the main north-south route cutting through central North Carolina. Wake Crossroads, as it was called, provided a foundation for Raleigh's development.

By the late 1780s, North Carolina's general assembly recognized the need for a permanent location to conduct state government. Prior to this, the state capital had been hosted by several existing cities. Rather than select one of these communities, the legislature decided to build a new and more-centrally located city. Eight commissioners were appointed to choose a location for the new capital. On March 30, 1792, they purchased 1,000 acres from Joel Lane and a plan was quickly developed.

The city grew slowly. The original state house, built in 1794, provided a physical location for government business and a center for the community's social life. Over time, a number of inns, taverns, dry-goods stores, coffin houses and brickyards were established to support the burgeoning city. Until the Civil War, these businesses catered mostly to retail customers. Fayetteville Street became Raleigh's commercial core as storefronts began to replace residences along the blocks south of the State Capitol. In addition to downtown commerce, a handful of mills and new ventures, such as the Raleigh & Gaston Railroad, completed the composition of the early city.

Raleigh emerged from the Civil War physically unscathed and a new era unfolded. An effort to establish cotton mills and other industries here failed. However, a plethora of family-owned businesses flourished and dominated the downtown. In the 19th century, Raleigh witnessed a wave of publishing enterprises from newspapers and printers to bookbinders. As the century progressed, innovations including the Raleigh Street Railway, a waterworks and electric lights fundamentally altered the city's way of life.

The cemetery, located in a relatively isolated area, contains a large Georgian Revival lodge and is defined by a masonry enclosure wall. Raleigh National Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.

Monuments and Memorials The Artillery Monument is a black, wrought iron cannon mounted on a cement pedestal donated in the late 1890s.

Notable interments

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

Directions

The cemetery is located in the southeast section of Raleigh. From Raleigh/Durham International Airport, travel Route 40 east to the Rock Quarry Road exit. Turn left and continue approximately 1.5 miles to the cemetery on your right.

Flowers and grounds rules

Our floral and grounds policy exists to reflect the honor and respect we hold for our Nation's Veterans, by preserving the dignity and solemnity of their final resting place.

These items are welcome:

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 Raleigh National Cemetery.

A National Cemetery System Raleigh National Cemetery

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

VA lists Raleigh 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 Raleigh National Cemetery burial schedule?

VA posts a daily burial schedule for every national cemetery. Search it for Raleigh 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 Raleigh National Cemetery directly at 252-637-2912.

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

• Sandhills State Veterans Cemetery, Spring Lake, NC: 47 mi, open for burials
• Eastern Carolina State Veterans Cemetery, Goldsboro, NC: 50 mi, open for burials
• Danville National Cemetery, Danville, VA: 70 mi, status not listed