Camp Butler National Cemetery
The pin is a point inside the NPS boundary polygon, not a surveyed location.
Why it's listed
Camp Butler National Cemetery occupies 39.2 acres about six miles northeast of Springfield, Illinois. It was established in 1862 on part of Camp Butler, the state's second-largest Civil War training camp, where nearly 200,000 men passed through before the camp closed in 1866. The camp also held Confederate prisoners captured at Fort Donelson, Island No. 10 and Arkansas Post, and many died of disease. Roughly 840 to 860 Confederate soldiers are buried here, alongside Union soldiers and later veterans of every war, as well as sixteen alien prisoners of war from World War II and Korea. The grounds include a brick lodge built in 1908 with Arts and Crafts influences, a Classical Revival rostrum of Bedford limestone from 1939, and a perimeter wall and gates added in 1949. The period of significance ends in 1939, when the rostrum was built. Little else of the original camp survives.
Significance in brief: It is significant under Criterion A for its association with the Civil War, because it is all that remains of Camp Butler, Illinois's second-largest training camp and a prison camp for Confederates. It also holds veterans of every American war. It meets Criteria Consideration D as a cemetery designated by Congress as a primary memorial to U.S. military service.
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 97000891, listed August 15, 1997. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 5063 Camp Butler Rd., Springfield |
|---|---|
| County | Sangamon County |
| Listed | August 15, 1997 |
| Reference number | 97000891 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Period of significance | 1865-1939 |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and early 20th century American movements (lodge shows some Arts and Crafts influences; rostrum is Classical Revival) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Military |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still an active cemetery; as of February 1997 interments continued and it was expected to remain open until 2003. The lodge serves as the cemetery office. |
| Acreage | 39.2 |
| Coordinates | 39.83401, -89.55502 (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 97000891.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5027032
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.