Woodland Cemetery Soldiers' Lot

Woodland Cemetery Soldiers' Lot is a VA national cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio. 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 Woodland Cemetery Soldiers' Lot

Woodland Cemetery is located in Cleveland, Ohio, on the east side of the Cuyahoga River. Founded in 1853, Woodland was one of many rural cemeteries built throughout the United States as part of the rural cemetery movement of the mid-19th century. The name “Woodland” came from an imaginative description of the city by Thomas Campbell, a Scottish poet who never visited Cleveland. The cemetery was laid out by Howard Daniels, a notable New York landscape architect who also designed Spring Hill Cemetery in Cincinnati and Druid Hill Park in Baltimore. For many years after its inception, Woodland served as Cleveland's largest public cemetery, as well as open space for a city lacking in parks. Streetcars ran regularly to Woodland Cemetery, which served as the final resting place for many prominent local citizens. Today the cemetery retains most of its original 60 acres and it is owned by the City of Cleveland.

Woodland Cemetery Soldiers' Lot is comprised of two separate parcels that the federal government purchased in 1868 for the Civil War dead. Section 14, lot 48, contains 16 graves in an area measuring 28 feet by 23 feet. Section 10, lots 59 and 60, contain 32 graves in an area 40 feet by 16 feet. The first interments were the remains of 27 Union soldiers removed from West Side Cemetery, Cleveland. There is an unrelated group of Civil War-era burials around the cemetery's central flagpole, but these are not administered by NCA.

Woodland Cemetery, including the soldiers' lot, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in June 1986.

Directions

From the West (Toledo, Sandusky, Elyria): Take Interstate 90 East toward Cleveland, Ohio, Exit 1a. Interstate 90 East becomes Interstate 490 East for two miles. Turn left on East 55th Street for ½ mile. Turn right onto Woodland Avenue for ½ mile to cemetery.

From the East (Mentor, Pennsylvania): Take Interstate 90 West towards Cleveland, Ohio. Merge onto Interstate 77 South exit 172a towards Akron. Take exit 162a toward Woodlawn Avenue/East 30th. Go straight on Orange Avenue OH-87 South. Turn slight left onto OH-87 South (Woodland Avenue) to Cemetery 1¼ miles.

Flowers and grounds rules

Contact the cemetery for information regarding the floral/grounds policy.

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 Woodland Soldiers' Lot.

A National Cemetery System Woodland Soldiers' Lot

Who can be buried at Woodland 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 Woodland 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 Woodland Cemetery Soldiers' Lot and a date. National cemeteries hold burials Monday through Friday.

VA lists Woodland 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 Woodland Cemetery Soldiers' Lot burial schedule?

VA posts a daily burial schedule for every national cemetery. Search it for Woodland 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 Woodland Cemetery Soldiers' Lot directly at 330-335-3069.

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 Ohio law; our sister site ProbateUS explains how probate works in Ohio 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 Woodland Cemetery Soldiers' Lot, by straight-line distance:

• Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery, Seville, OH: 35 mi, open for burials
• Ohio Veterans Home Cemetery, Sandusky, OH: 54 mi, open for burials
• Confederate Stockade Cemetery, Sandusky, OH: 55 mi, closed to new in-ground burials