Barrancas National Cemetery

Historic veterans cemetery in Escambia County, Florida


Barrancas National Cemetery
U.S. National Register of Historic Places


30°21′18″N 87°17′09″W / 30.3551382°N 87.2859486°W / 30.3551382; -87.2859486
Area	45.1 acres (18.3 ha)
MPS	Civil War Era National Cemeteries MPS
NRHP reference No.	98000083^[1]
Added to NRHP	February 12, 1998

Barrancas National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located at Naval Air Station Pensacola, in the city of Pensacola, Florida. It encompasses 94.9 acres (38.4 ha), and as of 2021 had over 50,000 interments.

History

The area has been used as a burial ground since the construction of Fort Barrancas. In 1838 it was established as a United States Navy cemetery. During the Civil War, Pensacola was hotly contested, as it was considered to be the best port for access to the Gulf of Mexico. Numerous soldiers on both sides were interred in the cemetery after falling in combat, or dying in nearby hospitals. After the war, in 1868, Barrancas was officially made a National Cemetery and many other nearby makeshift burial grounds were disinterred and relocated to Barrancas. In each year, 1944, 1950, 1986, and 1990, more area was transferred from NAS Pensacola to expand the facilities for the cemetery.

Notable monuments

Barrancas National Cemetery has a monument honoring those soldiers who died from yellow fever. It was erected in 1884 by the Marine Guard of the Pensacola Navy Yard.

Notable interments

Medal of Honor recipients
- Colonel George E. "Bud" Day, USAF, former POW and recipient for action in the Vietnam War
- Commander Clyde Everett Lassen, USN, recipient for action in the Vietnam War
- Major Stephen W. Pless, USMC, recipient for action in the Vietnam War
- Staff Sergeant Clifford Chester Sims, USA, recipient for action in the Vietnam War
Others
- Vice admiral Dick H. Guinn, USN, World War II veteran and Navy Cross recipient. Former Chief of Naval Personnel
- Lieutenant General Robert P. Keller, USMC, Marine Aviator during World War II, Korea and Vietnam
- General Joe W. Kelly, USAF, former commander of Military Air Transport Service from 1960 to 1964
- Major General William L. McKittrick, USMC, Marine Aviator during World War II
- Colonel Arthur D. Simons, USA, Special Forces commander and leader of the Sơn Tây raid
- Benny Spellman (1931–2011), US Army Korean War veteran and R&B singer
- Admiral Maurice F. Weisner, USN, former commander of US Pacific Command from 1976 to 1979
- Daniel Phineas Woodbury (1812–1864), Civil War Union Major General
- Ga-Ah, one of the many wives of the Apache Indian Geronimo, who died of Bright's disease while being held captive

The cemetery also holds 17 casualties of the Second Seminole War and 10 British aviators (6 Royal Navy, 4 Royal Air Force) killed during training at the Naval Air Station during World War II.^[2]

References

^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
^ "CWGC Cemetery Report. Breakdown obtained from casualty record".

External links

National Cemetery Administration
Barrancas National Cemetery
Barrancas National Cemetery, records of burials
Photos of Barrancas National Cemetery
Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS) No. FL-1, "Barrancas National Cemetery, Naval Air Station, 80 Hovey Road, Pensacola, Escambia County, Florida", 38 photos, 4 photo caption pages
Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. FL-388, "U.S. Naval Air Station, Barrancas National Cemetery, Superintendent's Lodge, Intersection of Hovey & Duncan Roads, Pensacola, Escambia County, Florida", 6 photos, 5 data pages, 1 photo caption page
U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Barrancas National Cemetery
Barrancas National Cemetery at Find a Grave