Rock Island National Cemetery
Rock Island Arsenal, Bldg 118, Rock Island, IL, 61299
GPS Coordinates:
41.512483, -90.524026
County: Rock Island
Record count: 37,024
Ownership: National Cemetery Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Directions: From Moline, IL, take the Rodman Ave Bridge to Rock Island Arsenal. The cemetery sits along Rodman Ave, about 600 feet from the bridge.
Background: Rock Island National Cemetery was established in 1863 on Rock Island, Illinois, within the U.S. Arsenal grounds to bury Union soldiers who died while guarding a large Confederate prison camp located there during the Civil War. By 1868, the cemetery contained 136 remains and was enclosed by a paling fence, but plans for arsenal expansion led to recommendations that the cemetery be relocated to a more permanent site on the island. Later property transfers expanded the cemetery to its current size of 66.8 acres, with 53.3 acres developed. Over time, Rock Island National Cemetery became the final resting place for veterans of multiple conflicts, including the Civil War, Mexican War, Indian Wars, Spanish-American War, both World Wars, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
Transcriptions
We have 2 transcriptions for this cemetery.
- Unidentified Burials, compiled by Interment.net, April 17, 2025, (48 records)
- Veterans Affairs Database, compiled by Interment.net, April 17, 2025, (36,976 records)
