Nashville National Cemetery

GPS Coordinates: 36.241724, -86.723992
County: Davidson
Record count: 37,659

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

Directions: Located in the north part of Nashville, about 8 miles from downtown along Gallatin Pike, the cemetery's main entrance is along Gallatin Pike, just north of Walton Ln.

Background: Nashville National Cemetery was established shortly after the Civil War to provide a permanent resting place for Union soldiers. The first 45 acres were acquired in July 1866 through the Chancery Court of Nashville, with additional parcels added in 1867 and 1879, bringing the cemetery to its present size. The earliest interments included soldiers reinterred from Nashville’s hospitals and nearby battlefields such as Franklin, Gallatin, Bowling Green, and Cave City, with more than 4,000 unknowns among them. In 1870, a stone wall and limestone archway were constructed at the entrance, and although local lore once suggested that Union soldiers were entombed in the archway, no evidence supports the claim. The current lodge, completed in 1931, replaced earlier structures on the site. Bisected by the Louisville & Nashville Railroad, which received a perpetual easement in 1912, the cemetery remains both a historic and functional burial ground and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.

Burial Records

• View All Transcriptions Combined, 37,659 records
  • Unidentified Burials, by Interment.net, April 17, 2025, (4,098 records)
  • Veterans Affairs Database, by Interment.net, April 17, 2025, (33,561 records)

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