Danville National Cemetery (Virginia)

Danville National Cemetery
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Virginia Landmarks Register
Entrance to the cemetery
Location	721 Lee St., Danville, Virginia
Coordinates	36°34′37″N 79°23′22″W
Area	4 acres (1.6 ha)
Built	1866
Architectural style	Colonial Revival
MPS	Civil War Era National Cemeteries MPS
NRHP reference No.	95000274
VLR No.	108-0057
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	April 7, 1995
Designated VLR	January 15, 1995

Danville National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in the city of Danville, Virginia. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it encompasses 3.5 acres (1.4 ha) and, as of the end of 2005, it had 2,282 interments. It is managed by Salisbury National Cemetery.

History

Danville National Cemetery was established by the federal government on August 14, 1867 on a plot of 2.6 acres (1.1 ha). This was part of the process to recognize and commemorate the military dead. Almost all of the original interments were Union prisoners-of-war who had been held in the city of Danville. Tobacco warehouses were converted into Confederate internment facilities for this purpose.

Most of the Union prisoners, as was the case for soldiers throughout the war, died of infectious diseases and malnutrition. These soldiers were initially buried in poorly marked, mass graves. They were later exhumed and reinterred with individual markers. Soldiers were from numerous states, including Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, and Wisconsin. The cemetery is open to visitors throughout the year.

Danville National Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.

External links

Media related to Danville National Cemetery (Virginia) at Wikimedia Commons

• National Cemetery Administration
• Danville National Cemetery
• Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS) No. VA-21, "Danville National Cemetery, 721 Lee Street, Danville, Danville, VA"
• U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Danville National Cemetery
• Danville National Cemetery at Find a Grave