GRAVE SITES

    No centralized database exists for the burial sites of Civil War soldiers.  Veterans of more recent wars are frequently buried in government-maintained military cemeteries.  But while such cemeteries exist for Civil War soldiers -- Gettysburg and Nashville National Cemetery, to name just two -- a large percentage of Civil War veterans are scattered through church cemeteries and long-forgotten family cemeteries across the country.

    The care and maintenance of these private burial sites is a crucial part of historical preservation work.  Gravestones deteriorate over time, even in cemeteries that are still operating; eventually they become unreadable.  But when cemeteries have not been used in many generations, the situation is often far worse: gravestones are broken in pieces, and a small family plot, which was doubtless carefully tended for several generations by the nearby family, has become almost entirely overgrown.  Our veterans -- and our own history -- deserve far better than this at our hands.

    As we discover the burial sites of Fifteenth Kentucky veterans, we will post photographs here.  Below, we will post driving directions from major Kentucky highways to the veterans' cemeteries.  Also included on these pages are instructions for how to request a veterans' stone from the Department of Veterans' Affairs ("DVA").

    CAVE HILL CEMETERY, LOUISVILLE KENTUCKY -- Cave Hill Cemetery, where many Fifteenth Kentucky veterans are buried, is located at 701 Baxter Avenue in Louisville, only two miles from the principal business district.  Cave Hill, which is still an active cemetery, maintains a website at http://www.cavehillcemetery.com.  The website includes information about tours of the lovely grounds and gardens, as well as a database of the graves.

    GROVE HILL CEMETERY, SHELBYVILLE, KENTUCKY -- Like Cave Hill, Grove Hill is still an active cemetery, located at 458 Mount Eden Road in Shelbyville, Kentucky.  Any search for a veteran from Shelby County should begin at Grove Hill.  To visit, take the Shelbyville exit off I-65, towards Lexington.  From the exit, turn left onto Kentucky-53, Mount Eden Road.  The cemetery is about a mile and a half away.

    NASHVILLE NATIONAL CEMETERY, MADISON, TENNESSEE -- Despite the name, Nashville National Cemetery is actually located at 1420 Gallatin Road South in Madison, Tennessee, approximately a two hour forty-five minute drive from Louisville.  Going south on I-65 towards Nashville, take Exit 90B towards Opryland, merging onto Briley Parkway/Tennessee 155 E.  About two miles down, take Exit 14A, marked "Madison."  This is US 31E N/North Gallatin Road.  Off the exit, merge onto Gallatin Pike/Tennessee 6 N.  The cemetery is a half mile away.