GENERAL INFORMATION

To schedule a burial:  Fax all discharge documentation to the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 1-866-900-6417 and follow-up with a phone call to 1-800-535-1117.

This cemetery is supervised by Zachary Taylor National Cemetery. They can be contacted at the number listed above.
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HISTORICAL INFORMATION

New Albany National Cemetery is located New Albany, Ind., just across the Ohio River from Louisville, Ky. Founded just below the Falls of the Ohio, New Albany was first settled in the early 1800s by farmers who recognized the town’s potential as a transportation and ship-building hub. The first settlers in the region named the territory after the capital of their home state, New York. Prior to construction of the locks on the Louisville side of the river, New Albany was one of the largest cities in the Midwest due to its river location. Riverboat building and glass manufacturing were important industries. In 1858, Ashbel P. Willard, governor of Indiana and a New Albany resident, dedicated the Floyd County Fairground, and the following year the Indiana State Fair came to town. During the Civil War, the fairground was converted into Camp Noble where local regiments were mustered. New Albany became a strategic supply and training center for the Union troops fighting in the South, and a hospital center for the wounded being sent north, as well as part of the Underground Railroad for slaves escaping from the South.

New Albany National Cemetery was established in 1862 to accommodate the burial of soldiers posted at the training center. It was also intended for the reinterment of Union soldiers who died in local hospitals and were buried in nearby gravesites and soldier’s plots. Most of the reinterments came from West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky and Indiana. The original 5.5 acres were purchased from Dr. Charles Bowman in early 1862. By November 1870, more than 2,000 known dead and 698 unknowns were buried at New Albany. According to a 1870s inspection report, the African-American men of the U.S. Colored Troops were buried in segregated sections from their fellow soldiers.

Today a suburban residential community envelops the cemetery, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.
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NOTABLE PERSONS

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FLORAL/GROUNDS REGULATIONS

Cemetery policies are conspicuously posted and readily visible to the public.

Floral arrangements accompanying the casket or urn at the time of burial will be placed on the completed grave. Natural cut flowers may be placed on graves at any time of the year. They will be removed when they become unsightly or when it becomes necessary to facilitate cemetery operations such as mowing.

Artificial flowers and potted plants will be permitted on graves during periods when their presence will not interfere with grounds maintenance. As a general rule, artificial flowers and potted plants will be allowed on graves for a period extending 10 days before through 10 days after Easter Sunday and Memorial Day.

Christmas wreaths, grave blankets and other seasonal adornments may be placed on graves from Dec. 1 through Jan. 20. They may not be secured to headstones or markers.

Permanent plantings, statues, vigil lights, breakable objects and similar items are not permitted on the graves. The Department of Veterans Affairs does not permit adornments that are considered offensive, inconsistent with the dignity of the cemetery or considered hazardous to cemetery personnel. For example, items incorporating beads or wires may become entangled in mowers or other equipment and cause injury.

Permanent items removed from graves will be placed in an inconspicuous holding area for one month prior to disposal. Decorative items removed from graves remain the property of the donor but are under the custodianship of the cemetery. If not retrieved by the donor, they are then governed by the rules for disposal of federal property.
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