West Point Cemetery

West Point Cemetery is a historic cemetery on the grounds of the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. It overlooks the Hudson River, and served as a burial ground for Revolutionary War soldiers and early West Point inhabitants long before 1817, when it was officially designated as a military cemetery.

West Point Cemetery
Old section in January 2009
Details
Established1817,[1] 206 years ago
Location
CountryUnited States
Coordinates41°23′56″N 73°58′02″W
TypeMilitary
Owned byU.S. Military Academy
No. of graves~10,000
Websitehttps://www.westpoint.edu/about/west-point-cemetery
Find a GraveWest Point Cemetery
West Point is located in the United States
West Point
West 
Point
Location in the United States
West Point is located in New York
West Point
West 
Point
Location in New York

Northwest of the cadet area, it was known as "German Flats" before its formal designation as the official cemetery in 1817.[2] Until that time several small burial plots scattered in mid-post also served as places of interment. The graves from these plots and the remains subsequently found during building excavations were removed to the new site.

An improved road to the cemetery was constructed in 1840, and the caretaker's cottage was erected in 1872.[1] The cemetery is home to several monuments, including the Dade Monument, Cadet Monument, Custer Monument, Wood's Monument, and Margaret Corbin Monument.

Notable interments

The cemetery includes interments of many notable people:[3]

Old Cadet Chapel at the entrance to the cemetery
Caretaker's Cottage

See also

References

  1. "The West Point Cemetery". usma.edu. Retrieved 23 December 2009.
  2. Lange, Robie (1984). Historic Structures Inventory United States Military Academy West Point, NY Vol 2. Washington, DC: National Park Service. p. 39.
  3. "West Point Cemetery" (PDF). United States Military Academy. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  4. "Eleazer D. Wood • Cullum's Register • 17". penelope.uchicago.edu. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
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