GENERAL INFORMATION

The New Bern National Cemetery administers this cemetery. Please contact the office at the number listed above.

Military Funeral Honors
Either the family or a funeral director must make arrangements for military funeral honors. When these arrangements have been made, please notify the cemetery representative. Some telephone numbers that may be helpful in obtaining military funeral honors are:

Local Numbers for Military Funeral Honors:
U.S. Marine Corps - (843) 228-2770
U.S. Army -(800) 682-6973
U.S. Air Force - (910) 394-9000
U.S. Navy - (904) 542-1536
U.S. Coast Guard - (757) 398-6390

The Department of Veterans Affairs and cemetery staff members do not exercise authority over the extent, content, or nature of honors and ceremonies furnished by the individual branches of the military service. Questions and inquiries regarding these matters should be directed to the branch of service in which the veteran served.
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HISTORICAL INFORMATION

Created as a planned city in 1792, the area now known as Raleigh, N.C., was a handful of sparse settlements as early as the 1760s. Enterprising landholders like Isaac Hunter and Joel Lane owned large tracts of farmland and operated taverns near their homes to accommodate travelers along the main north-south route cutting through central North Carolina. Wake Crossroads, as it was called, provided a foundation for Raleigh's development.

By the late 1780s, North Carolina's general assembly recognized the need for a permanent location to conduct state government. Prior to this, the state capital had been hosted by several existing cities. Rather than select one of these communities, the legislature decided to build a new and more-centrally located city. Eight commissioners were appointed to choose a location for the new capital. On March 30, 1792, they purchased 1,000 acres from Joel Lane and a plan was quickly developed.

The city grew slowly. The original state house, built in 1794, provided a physical location for government business and a center for the community's social life. Over time, a number of inns, taverns, dry-goods stores, coffin houses and brickyards were established to support the burgeoning city. Until the Civil War, these businesses catered mostly to retail customers. Fayetteville Street became Raleigh's commercial core as storefronts began to replace residences along the blocks south of the State Capitol. In addition to downtown commerce, a handful of mills and new ventures, such as the Raleigh & Gaston Railroad, completed the composition of the early city.

Raleigh emerged from the Civil War physically unscathed and a new era unfolded. An effort to establish cotton mills and other industries here failed. However, a plethora of family-owned businesses flourished and dominated the downtown. In the 19th century, Raleigh witnessed a wave of publishing enterprises from newspapers and printers to bookbinders. As the century progressed, innovations including the Raleigh Street Railway, a waterworks and electric lights fundamentally altered the city's way of life.

The cemetery, located in a relatively isolated area, contains a large Georgian Revival lodge and is defined by a masonry enclosure wall. Raleigh National Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.

Monuments and Memorials
The Artillery Monument is a black, wrought iron cannon mounted on a cement pedestal donated in the late 1890’s.
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NOTABLE BURIALS

Medal of Honor Recipient
Sergeant First Class William Maud Bryant, (Vietnam) U.S. Army, Company A, 5th Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces. Long Khanh Province, Republic of Vietnam, March 24, 1969 (Section 15, Grave 1227).
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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 the period of October 10 through April 15, and 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 donor, they are then governed by the rules for disposal of federal property.
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