Andersonville National Cemetery: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Andersonville National Historic Site, National Park Service

Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc.; John Milner Associates, Inc.

The Andersonville National Cemetery Component Landscape is a fully integrated parcel within the Andersonville National Historic Site (NHS). It was established on July 26, 1865, for the burial of Union soldiers who perished at Camp Sumter (Andersonville Prison) and continues to provide a permanent resting place of honor for deceased veterans. The cemetery is a 27.15 acre site located in the north central area of the NHS, approximately 300 yards northwest of the prison site. The cemetery has a public entrance from a two-way road leading from the prison site, and a restricted-access funeral entrance directly west off Georgia State Highway 49, the state highway that runs north/south through the NHS. General public access to the cemetery is from the north entrance drive of the NHS, which winds southward and loops again north to the south cemetery entrance. Within the cemetery, two axial roads bisect the landscape into four quadrants, which together contain eighteen sections of burials or open space for future burials. The intersection of the two roads is punctuated by an island where the flagpole is located. The cemetery landscape displays a formal geometry with two orthogonal axes terminating in structures, entrance gates, and circular paved loops. Principal characteristics and features of the cemetery component landscape include the 4-1/2 foot high brick wall that surrounds the site and is an integral part of both the aesthetic and historical scene; the regular and rhythmic rows of marble headstones; the large canopy trees; and the large monuments that are spaced around the entire site. The Rostrum is also a distinct feature and terminates the axis from the funeral entrance to the site. Several historic buildings are located at or near the west entrance to the cemetery. The Park Archives building (the renovated1908 Chapel) is outside the brick wall and is currently used for archives and offices. Inside the wall is a two-story building, now the Administration Building, dating from 1872 (Cemetery Lodge), which originally served as an office and residence for the cemetery superintendent. The cemetery landscape, walls, headstones, memorials, vegetation, roadways and structures are maintained in good condition. The purpose of the national cemetery—to provide a permanent place of honor for those who have served their country—has remained unchanged. In 2007, there were 161 funerals at the cemetery and the site had 153,000 visitors during that year. Interpretation of the cemetery is an important component of the Andersonville National Historic Site.

Andersonville National Cemetery: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Andersonville National Historic Site, National Park Service

Series

Other versions

Collections