Alexandria National Cemetery
Also known as: Soldiers' Cemetery; VDHR File No. 100-138
Why it's listed
Alexandria National Cemetery occupies 5.5 acres at 1450 Wilkes Street in Alexandria, Virginia. Established in 1862 as the Soldiers' Cemetery, it holds 4,066 graves marked with small white marble stones, including four Quartermaster Corps employees who drowned in 1865 while pursuing John Wilkes Booth. Many of the dead died in the city's Civil War hospitals or were reinterred from nearby burial grounds. A red sandstone wall surrounds the grounds, and the main entrance has ornamental wrought and cast iron gates. The superintendent's lodge follows a prototype design by Quartermaster General Montgomery C. Meigs. The original burned in 1878, and the present Second Empire lodge was built in 1887 over the old walls and foundation. A brick utility building was added the same year. The cemetery is recognized for its Civil War association, the Meigs lodge design and the lodge's distinctive prototypical form. It closed to general burials in 1967.
Significance in brief: The nomination cites Criterion A for the cemetery's association with the Civil War, when Alexandria was a military center and hospital hub. It cites Criterion B for the lodge design by Quartermaster General Montgomery C. Meigs, and Criterion C because the lodge represents a distinctive prototypical design.
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 95000106, listed March 2, 1995. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1450 Wilkes St., Alexandria (Independent City) |
|---|---|
| County | Alexandria |
| Listed | March 2, 1995 |
| Reference number | 95000106 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Period of significance | 1862-1887 |
| Architect / builder | Meigs, Montgomery C. |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian: Second Empire; Late Victorian: Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Military, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Officially closed to new burials in 1967, though a small number of interments still occur yearly; 22 reserved gravesites and 70 cremation sites were available as of July 1993. |
| Acreage | 5.5 |
| Coordinates | 38.80194, -77.05811 (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 95000106.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4720985
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.