Alton National Cemetery

Historic veterans cemetery in Madison County, Illinois

United States historic place

Alton National Cemetery

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

Overview from the northeast

Location| 600 Pearl St.
Alton, Illinois
Coordinates| 38°53′26″N 90°09′49″W﻿ / ﻿38.89056°N 90.16361°W﻿ / 38.89056; -90.16361
Built| 1870
MPS| Civil War Era National Cemeteries MPS
NRHP reference No.| 11000245

Alton National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in the city of Alton, in Madison County, Illinois. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it encompasses only half an acre plot of land, and as of the end of 2005, had 522 interments. It is maintained by the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, in St. Louis, Missouri.

## History

[edit]

Originally a military section of the Alton City Cemetery, and in use since 1870, the half acre lot was donated to the federal government in 1940. It was intended that the remains buried in the cemetery be moved to the Springfield National Cemetery, but public protest prevented it. It is the resting place of many Civil War Union soldiers.

In 2006, Alton announced the first of what is hoped to be an annual Memorial Day Sunset Ceremony at the cemetery that will include speeches by local elected officials, a performance by the Scott Air Force Base band, Pipes and Drums, and a VFW 21-gun salute. This event is well-attended and has continued as of 2018.[1]

Burials are limited to cremains and, as of August 2018, soon to be limited to "second interments" of the second decedent, whether that is the veteran, spouse, or a child.[2]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Brannan, Dan (May 30, 2018). "Alton National Cemetery Sunset Ceremony again moves those in attendance". RiverBender.com. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
2. ^ Weller, Linda N. (August 1, 2018). "VA soon to limit burials at Alton National Cemetery to 'second interments'". Alton Telegraph. Retrieved May 19, 2019.

## External links

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Media related to Alton National Cemetery at Wikimedia Commons

* National Cemetery Administration
* Alton National Cemetery
* Interment.net: Alton National Cemetery
* Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS) No. IL-1, "Alton National Cemetery, 600 Pearl Street, Alton, Madison County, IL", 13 photos, 2 photo caption pages
* U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Alton National Cemetery
* Alton National Cemetery at Find a Grave

* v
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Municipalities and communities of Madison County, Illinois, United States

County seat: Edwardsville

Cities|

* Alton
* Collinsville‡
* Edwardsville
* Granite City
* Highland
* Madison‡
* Troy
* Venice
* Wood River

Map of Illinois highlighting Madison County

Villages|

* Alhambra
* Bethalto
* East Alton
* Fairmont City‡
* Glen Carbon
* Godfrey
* Grantfork
* Hamel
* Hartford
* Livingston
* Marine
* Maryville
* New Douglas
* Pierron‡
* Pontoon Beach
* Roxana
* South Roxana
* St. Jacob
* Williamson
* Worden

Townships|

* Alhambra
* Alton
* Chouteau
* Collinsville
* Edwardsville
* Fort Russell
* Foster
* Godfrey
* Granite City
* Hamel
* Helvetia
* Jarvis
* Leef
* Marine
* Moro
* Nameoki
* New Douglas
* Olive
* Omphghent
* Pin Oak
* Saline
* St. Jacob
* Venice
* Wood River

CDPs|

* Holiday Shores
* Mitchell
* Moro
* Prairietown
* Rosewood Heights

Other
communities|

* Binney
* Cottage Hills
* Donkville
* Dorsey
* Fosterburg
* Gard
* Kaufman
* Lumaghi Heights
* Meadowbrook
* Midway
* Newport
* Poag
* St. Morgan
* State Park Place‡
* Wanda

Footnotes|

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

* Illinois portal
* United States portal

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