By: Yvonne Dempsey
Many of you might have heard about Alabama’s second state veterans’ cemetery which is to be built on a 150-acre site along the eastern side of Maysville Road in Madison County. The cemetery’s official name will be Alabama State Veterans Memorial Cemetery-North Alabama. The state’s only other veterans’ cemetery is located in Spanish Fort, Baldwin County in South Alabama.
At 6 p.m. on Thursday, September 24, an informational event will be held at the Alabama Veterans Museum, 114 W. Pryor St, Athens, AL. There will be a presentation on the cemetery with visuals, and information on securing veterans burial sites. Attendees will have the opportunity to preregister for burial sites, which is necessary to be assured of placement. Veterans who are currently interred in other cemeteries and graveyards may be able to be reinterred in this veterans’ cemetery.
The North Alabama cemetery will provide burial benefits at no cost for honorably discharged veterans, their spouses, and eligible dependents. National Guard and Reserve veterans and their spouses – who are not otherwise eligible for burial at national cemeteries – are also eligible for burial benefits at no charge. We have many veterans and their families who have waited decades years for an accessible veterans’ cemetery for North Alabama.
Representative Dale Strong worked tirelessly to secure funding for the project. “Veterans serve the country with courage and sacrifice, and they deserve to be honored with dignity close to the communities that they helped build,” said Strong. The project is backed by $25 million in state funding and a $13.5 million federal grant from the U. S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
The cemetery, which will have 150,000 burial sites, will include a visitor center with a neoclassical design, committal shelter, memorial walk, amphitheater, bell tower, and a flag plaza with an American flag dominating the feature surrounded by Alabama State flag and service flags. Options that will be available at the cemetery are in-ground, pre-positioned concrete vaults built for two caskets and for cremated remains, columbarium niches, a scatter garden, and in-ground burial. The features at the site will be large enough to accommodate ceremonies and memorial events but are also suited for a single visitor seeking a quiet place for reflection.
A groundbreaking ceremony is planned for October 15. Construction is estimated to take 12 to 14 months with first interments around the end of 2027 or the very beginning of 2028.
We sincerely hope that all area veterans, spouses, or interested family members will join us for this special informative presentation. You will see what a beautiful cemetery this will be, have all your questions answered, and be among the first veterans in North Alabama to secure your final resting place among other veterans deserving of this honor. We thank all of you for your sacrifice and look forward to seeing you on Thursday, September 24 at 6 p.m. in the museum’s event venue.
By: Yvonne Dempsey
