Togus National Cemetery (East)

GPS Coordinates: 44.276479, -69.697211
County: Kennebec
Record count: 1,560

Ownership: National Cemetery Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Directions: Located about 1,000 feet east of Togus VA Medical Center, along Foggy Bottom Trl., which is accessed from North Gate Rd within the VA complex.

Background: Togus National Cemetery, located in Chelsea, Maine, originated from a failed Civil War-era resort. The property was Togus Springs, a luxury resort built by granite merchant Horace Beals in 1859. Named after the Native American word "Worromontogus" meaning "mineral water," the resort—locally dubbed "Beals' Folly"—closed in 1863 due to poor business during the Civil War.

The federal government purchased the property for $50,000, selecting it for its isolation, natural springs, and bargain price. In 1865, President Lincoln signed legislation establishing the National Asylum for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, with Togus becoming the Eastern Branch—the first such facility.

The first veteran was admitted November 10, 1866. The cemetery comprises two sections: the West Cemetery, established in 1865 and relocated around 1867 (closed 1936), and the East Cemetery, opened in 1936 and closed for burials in 1961.

The (East) cemetery consists of sections M, N, O and Q–V.

Burial Records

• Veterans Affairs Database, compiled by Interment.net, April 17, 2025, (1,560 records)

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