Rock Island National Cemetery

Rock Island National Cemetery
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Historic gate and memorial walkway
41°30′48″N 90°31′27″W / 41.51333°N 90.52417°W / 41.51333; -90.52417
Area	66 acres (27 ha)
Built	1863
MPS	Civil War Era National Cemeteries MPS
NRHP reference No.	97000560[1]
Added to NRHP	June 13, 1997

Rock Island National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located within Rock Island Arsenal near the city of Rock Island, Illinois. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it encompasses 66 acres (27 ha), and as of the end of 2006, had 24,525 interments.^[2] The cemetery is also nearing compliance with the National Shrine guidelines, due to its use of college students during the summer to reset and realign stones. When looking from any one stone there should be seven lines visible and all should be straight.

History

The cemetery was established in 1863 as a place to inter the remains of American Civil War Union army soldiers. Its initial placement interfered with the expansion of the Arsenal's facilities, so it was moved to a location on the northern end of the island. Civil War veterans who were interred in Oakdale Cemetery in Davenport, Iowa, were later disinterred and moved to the National Cemetery. Property transfers from the Arsenal in 1926, 1936, and 1950 increased the cemetery's area. There are plans for further expansion of this cemetery including an additional pavilion, more land, and a wall for cremations near the tank track.

A second, 2-acre (0.81 ha) cemetery was established near Rock Island National Cemetery to bury Confederate prisoners of war, nearly two thousand of which would die while in captivity on the island, primarily from the harsh living conditions.

Notable interments

Medal of Honor recipients

• Private First Class Edward J. Moskala (1921–1945), United States Army Medal of Honor recipient for action in World War II
• Private First Class Frank P. Witek (1921–1944), United States Marine Corps Medal of Honor recipient for action in World War II

Other burials

• Gene Baker (1925–1999), Major League Baseball player, coach, and scout^[3]
• Lane Evans (1951–2014), Congressman, Illinois's 17th congressional district^[4]
• Jeff Pfeffer (1888–1972), Major League Baseball player from 1911 to 1924^[5]
• Brevet Brigadier General Thomas Jackson Rodman (1816–1871), commander at the Rock Island Arsenal and developer of the Rodman gun
• Ralph Ignatowski (1926–1945), Rifleman, Battle of Iwo Jima

References

External links

• Rock Island National Cemetery at the U.S. Department of Veterans Administration
• Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS) No. IL-3, "Rock Island National Cemetery, Rock Island Arsenal, 0.25 mile north of southern tip of Rock Island, Rock Island, Rock Island County, IL", 26 photos, 3 photo caption pages
• HALS No. IL-4, "Rock Island Confederate Cemetery, Rodman Avenue, Rock Island Arsenal, Rock Island, Rock Island County, IL", 10 photos, 2 photo caption pages
• U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Rock Island National Cemetery
• Rock Island National Cemetery at Find a Grave