Salisbury National Cemetery
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Why it's listed
Salisbury National Cemetery occupies 13.0 acres about half a mile southwest of downtown Salisbury, North Carolina, and was established in 1863. It holds the graves of Union prisoners who died in the Salisbury Confederate prison, with 11,700 unknown soldiers buried in eighteen trenches in the southwest corner, each up to 240 feet long. Monuments on the grounds include a granite obelisk erected under an Act of Congress of March 3, 1873, a Maine monument of 1908, and a Pennsylvania monument of 1909 marking the burial of Pennsylvania prisoners. The cemetery also contains the graves of veterans from later wars, including Earl Baker Ruth, a former U.S. Congressman and Governor of American Samoa. The grounds include a stone perimeter wall, a 1934 lodge, and a 1929 utility building, and the cemetery was enlarged through donations in 1976, 1985, and 1995. Its importance rests on the prisoner burials and its role as a Civil War-era national cemetery.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the cemetery is significant under Criterion A for its association with the Civil War, as the burial place of about 11,700 unknown Union prisoners who died in the nearby Salisbury Confederate prison, and as a national cemetery holding veterans of every war and branch of service. The surrounding history of Salisbury as a Confederate military depot and the prison's conditions are presented as context for the burials.
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 99000393, listed April 12, 1999. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 202 Government Rd., Salisbury |
|---|---|
| County | Rowan County |
| Listed | April 12, 1999 |
| Reference number | 99000393 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Period of significance | 1863-1949 |
| Architectural style | Dutch Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Military |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Active cemetery with a lodge used as the administration building, a utility building, monuments, and gates; contributing and non-contributing resources are listed in the form. |
| Acreage | 13 |
| Coordinates | 35.65963, -80.47408 (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 99000393.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7404789
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.