National Register of Historic Places

Barrancas National Cemetery

Pensacola, Escambia County, Florida
Listed
February 12, 1998
Type
Site
Period
Listed
Ref No.
98000083

About this property

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. 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. 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. 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 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 (six Royal Navy, four Royal Air Force) killed during training at the Naval Air Station during World War II. 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

Location

80 Hovey Rd.
Pensacola, Escambia County, Florida
30.35597, -87.28591

Categories

MILITARY
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Fort Barrancas Historical District
Early Republic
0.7 mi
Pensacola Naval Air Station Historic District
Industrial
1.1 mi
Pensacola Lighthouse and Keeper's Quarters
Listed
1.5 mi
Fort Pickens
Early Republic
2.4 mi
Perdido Key Historic District
Listed
3.2 mi

Nearby Battles

Capture of Fort Barrancas — Pensacola 1781
1781Revolutionary War
1 mi
Naval Shelling of Fort Pickens (Pensacola)
1861Civil War
1.8 mi

Questions about this property

When was Barrancas National Cemetery listed on the National Register?

Barrancas National Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 12, 1998.

What type of historic resource is Barrancas National Cemetery?

Barrancas National Cemetery is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Barrancas National Cemetery?

The period of significance for Barrancas National Cemetery is recorded as the listed era.

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