Danville National Cemetery (Virginia)

Danville National Cemetery
Entrance to the cemetery
Location 721 Lee St., Danville, Virginia
Coordinates 36°34′37″N 79°23′22″W / 36.57694°N 79.38944°W / 36.57694; -79.38944Coordinates: 36°34′37″N 79°23′22″W / 36.57694°N 79.38944°W / 36.57694; -79.38944
Area 4 acres (1.6 ha)
Built 1866
Architectural style Colonial Revival
MPS Civil War Era National Cemeteries MPS
NRHP reference # 95000274[1]
VLR # 108-0057
Significant dates
Added to NRHP April 7, 1995
Designated VLR January 15, 1995[2]

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 just after the American Civil War in December 1866 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.

References

  1. ↑ National Park Service (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. ↑ "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
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