Marietta National Cemetery
Why it's listed
Marietta National Cemetery occupies 23.2 acres of rolling land in Marietta, Georgia, about 20 miles northwest of Atlanta, with a central hill and views toward Kennesaw Mountain. It was established in 1866 on land donated by Henry G. Cole, a Marietta citizen who stayed loyal to the Union. Soldiers who died on battlefields from Resaca to Kennesaw and Atlanta were reburied here, along with remains moved from Montgomery, Alabama, and several Georgia towns. The first burials included 225 United States Colored Troops. The grounds hold a rubble stone perimeter wall, a granite entrance arch built in 1883, a 1921 stucco lodge, a utility building, and a 1940 white marble rostrum modeled on a Greek temple. Monuments include the Twentieth Army Corps memorial of 1870 and a Wisconsin granite shaft dedicated in 1925. The cemetery closed to new burials in 1970 apart from reserved graves and cremated remains. Its significance lies in Civil War military history and the commemoration of Union dead.
Significance in brief: The cemetery was created after the Atlanta Campaign to hold Union soldiers gathered from battlefields and smaller burial grounds across Georgia and from a discontinued cemetery in Montgomery, Alabama. It is significant under the Military area for its role in Civil War burial and commemoration. Its period of significance runs from establishment in 1866 through the 1940 rostrum construction.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 98001170, listed September 18, 1998. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 500 Washington Ave., Marietta |
|---|---|
| County | Cobb County |
| Listed | September 18, 1998 |
| Reference number | 98001170 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Period of significance | 1866-1940 |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Military |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The cemetery closed to new burials in 1970, except for occupied and reserved graves and cremated remains. As of June 30, 1998, 248 gravesites remained available for casketed remains, 247 of them reserved. |
| Acreage | 23.2 |
| Coordinates | 33.95125, -84.54090 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Sites (archaeological sites, battlefields, landscapes) are often listed with a restricted address to protect them from looting or disturbance. Listing is honorary for private owners; federal undertakings on or near the site go through Section 106 review, and state laws may protect burials and artefacts regardless of listing.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 98001170.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6763242
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.