By Worcester P. Bong

What do a Medal of Honor recipient, a Major General, an Apache Scout and a former Whipple Hospital Director have in common? They’re all laid to rest at the Prescott National Cemetery in Prescott, Arizona.

The Prescott National Cemetery has an illustrious history since its beginnings in 1864. Initially the cemetery was established at the temporary location of Fort Whipple in Del Rio Springs (north of present-day Chino Valley). In May of 1864, when Fort Whipple relocated to its permanent location, 1-1/2 miles east of Prescott, the cemetery was located along Granite Creek near the fort. In 1869, after several flash floods washed out numerous burials, the cemetery was relocated to the southern part of the fort’s property. The current location of the cemetery, one half mile southeast of the fort was established in the late 1800’s. In January 1904, the last buried remains from the cemetery on the fort’s grounds were relocated to the current location. 

The history of national cemeteries begins with President Abraham Lincoln and the US Civil War (1861-1865). In July of 1862, mounting death tolls from the war led Congress to empower President Lincoln to purchase cemetery grounds. These became national cemeteries to honor Union soldiers who died in the service of our country. Fourteen national cemeteries were established and managed by the War Department as the National Cemetery System. Many of the national cemeteries were placed near military hospitals, recruitment and training centers. After the war, the National Cemetery Act of February 22, 1867, was passed to finance and expand national cemeteries. By 1870 approximately 300,000 Union soldiers had been buried in 73 national cemeteries.

Here in Arizona, a 1907 US Government publication titled “US Military Reservations, National Cemeteries, and Military Parks” lists Whipple Barracks (formerly Fort Whipple) as a military reservation. No national cemetery was listed in the state. The closest designated national cemetery to Arizona was the Santa Fe National Cemetery in New Mexico. When the Veterans Administration (VA) was formed in 1931, the cemetery associated with Fort Whipple became known as the Whipple Cemetery and not designated a national cemetery. In 1933 Executive Order No. 6166 transferred eleven national cemeteries from the War Department to the National Park Service. These included sites with historical significance and associated with battlefields, such as Gettysburg. Three other national cemeteries were later transferred to the National Park Service.

Over the next decades, numerous efforts to establish a national cemetery in Arizona were discussed at the federal level. On February 9, 1939, Senate bill S.1280 was introduced to establish a national cemetery in Prescott. The bill would authorize the Secretary of War to manage Whipple Cemetery. The bill was referred to the Committee on Military Affairs for further discussion, but no action was taken.

In 1952 Senate bill S.2621 and House bill H.R.7080 were introduced to authorize and direct the Secretary of the Army to establish one or more national cemeteries in the State of Arizona. These bills were referred to a House committee and were also not acted upon. 

On September 1, 1973, the Veterans Administration (VA) became stewards of the National Cemetery System as part of the National Cemeteries Act of 1973 (Public Law 93-43). The Act transferred the responsibility of 82 national cemeteries from the Department of the Army to the VA. Twenty-one cemeteries already under VA jurisdiction, including Prescott’s Whipple Cemetery, were re-designated as “national cemeteries.” The Department of the Army retained Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington Virginia, and the Soldiers' & Sailor's Home National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. 

A wreath from Wreath’s Across America (WAA) is currently viewable at the Sharlot Hall Museum’s Governor’s Mansion.

Part 2 explores controversy and expansion at Prescott National Cemetery.

“Days Past” is a collaborative project of the Sharlot Hall Museum and the Prescott Corral of Westerners International (www.prescottcorral.org). This and other Days Past articles are also available at www.archives.sharlothallmuseum.org/articles/days-past-articles/1. The public is encouraged to submit proposed articles and inquiries to dayspast@sharlothallmuseum.org Please contact SHM Research Center reference desk at 928-277-2003, or via email at archivesrequest@sharlothallmuseum.org for information or assistance with photo requests.