Office Hours: Monday thru Friday 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Closed federal holidays except Memorial Day.

Visitation Hours: Open daily from dawn to dusk. The cemetery gate is closed at 6:00pm, but visitors can still access the cemetery through the VA Medical Center Main Gate.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION
In 1888, Colonel George W. Steele, Indiana’s congressional representative, successfully convinced his colleagues in Washington, D.C., of the need for a Soldier’s Home in Grant County. Subsequently, the 31-acre Marion Branch of the National Home opened in 1889 to provide shelter and comfort for the region’s veterans. Along with the home, a cemetery was established for the interment of the men who died there. The first burial occurred two years after the home opened in May 1890. For most of its history, the cemetery at the Marion Home has quietly and efficiently cared for the needs of the nation’s veterans with few significant changes.

In 1920, the home was renamed Marion Sanatorium and in 1930, administration of the home was transferred to the newly created Veterans Administration. Additional acreage was transferred from the Veterans Health Administration twice in the cemetery’s history. Six acres were added in 1974 and six more in 1988. As of 1973, with the passage of the National Cemetery Act, the cemetery became part of the National Cemetery system and its name was changed to Marion National Cemetery.

Marion National Cemetery was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.

Monuments and Memorials
The Remember the Maine monument was erected in 1901 in honor of the lives lost in Cuba’s Havana Harbor during the Spanish-American War.

A monument dedicated to the Minnesota 2nd Regiment was erected at the cemetery in 1913.

A commemorative sundial was installed at the cemetery in the early 20th century.

The Carillon bell tower was erected around 1990 as part of the American Veterans international carillon program to provide living memorials in honor of American veterans.

The Vietnam Memorial was erected in 1990 and dedicated to those who fought or died in the Vietnam War.

The Blue Star Memorial Marker was donated by The Garden Club of Marion and Veteran of Foreign Wars San Mateo Post #60 and dedicated on April 23, 2005.


NOTABLE PERSONS
Medal of Honor Recipients
The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force that can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States. Recipients receive the Medal of Honor from the president on behalf of Congress. It was first awarded during the Civil War and eligibility criteria for the Medal of Honor have changed over time.

Recipients buried or memorialized here:

Sergeant Henry J. Hyde (Indian Wars). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, Company M, 1st U.S. Cavalry, for gallant conduct during winter 1872-1873. Hyde died in 1893 and is buried in Section 1, Site 97.

Seaman Nicholas Irwin (Civil War). Irwin received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Navy for actions on board the U.S.S. Brooklyn during the Battle of Mobile Bay, Alabama, August 5, 1864. He died in 1896 and is buried in Section 1, Site 382.

Captain Jeremiah Kuder (Civil War). Kuder received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, Company A, 74th Indiana Infantry, for actions at Jonesboro, Georgia, September 1, 1864. Kuder died in 1916 and is buried in Section 4, Site 2464.

Other Burials
William (Willis) H. Furbush was born in Kentucky ca. 1840, and little is known of his childhood. He was literate and an accomplished photographer. Furbush enlisted in the Army in February 1865, joining the 42nd U.S. Colored Troops Infantry. Sgt. Furbush was honorably discharged in October, and in 1866, he went with the American Colonization Society to Liberia. Furbush returned to the United States when Reconstruction offered political and economic opportunities to African Americans. He was elected to the Arkansas General Assembly in 1872. Furbush’s career received mixed reviews because he supported civil rights and was a conservative collaborator with white Democrats during this period. Furbush entered the Marion Branch of the National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers in October 1901 and died September 3, 1902 (Section 1, Site 774).