Lexington National Cemetery
Encyclopedia
United States National Cemetery
"United States National Cemetery" is a designation for 146 nationally important cemeteries in the United States. A National Cemetery is generally a military cemetery containing the graves of U.S. military personnel, veterans and their spouses but not exclusively so...
located in the city of Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
. It encompasses less than 4050 square metres (1 acre), and as of the end of 2005 had 1,390 interments. It is closed to new interments.
History
Lexington National Cemetery was originally a military section of the Lexington Cemetery which was first used to inter American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
casualties in 1861. After the war, several makeshift battlefield cemeteries had their remains moved to Lexington. In 1863, the lot was officially designated a National Cemetery, and in 1867, an additional 1500 square metres (0.38 acres) were purchased by the federal government to increase the lot to its current size.
Lexington National Cemetery was listed on National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1998.