Profile: Riverside National Cemetery

Riverside National Cemetery

Location: Riverside, California

Age: Opened in 1978.

Size: 740.3 Acres.
Vacancies: Yes

History: Riverside National Cemetery was established in 1976 via transfer of 740 acres from March Air Force Base. In 2000, it was the most active cemetery in the National Cemetery Administration's system based on the number of interments. The cemetery was officially opened for burials November 11, 1978.

Famous Citizens: Two Medal of Honor recipients.

Items of Interest: The Medal of Honor Memorial, which features the names of all medal recipients, The Fallen Soldiers Memorial, a memorial to honor Prisoners of War, a carillon donated by the American Veterans, and a memorial amphitheater.

Contact: 22495 Van Buren Boulevard
Riverside, CA 92518
Phone: (951) 653-8417
Fax: (951) 653-5233

Website: http://www.cem.va.gov/nchp/riverside.htm

Profile: Crown Hill Cemetery

Crown Hill Cemetery

Location: Indianapolis, IN

Age: Established in 1864

Size: Large - The third largest non-government cemetery in the United States at 555 acres. Has over 185,000 occupants.

Vacancies: Yes

History: Established as the official cemetery of Indianapolis when the city was being planned.

Famous Citizens: Benjamin Harrison, Former U.S. President
Colonel Eli Lilly
James Whitcomb Riley, Poet
John Dillinger. Infamous Bank Robber
Booth Tarkington, Author
Frederick Duesenberg, Automobile Manufacturer
13 Civil War Generals
Several Governors and Mayors

Items of Interest: Crown Hill has a Gothic Chapel from the late 1800's, National Cemetery dedicated to U.S. Soldiers, and a Confederate lot on cemetery grounds.

Contact: 700 West 38th Street
Indianapolis, IN 46208
Phone: (317)925-8231
Fax: (317)925-8240
info@crownhill.org

Website: www.crownhill.org

Profile: Rose Hill Cemetery

Rose Hill Cemetery

Location: Whittier, California

Age: Established in 1914.

Size: 1,400 acres - making it the largest cemetery in the United States

Vacancies: Yes

History: Rose Hill began as a small cemetery with only 1 acre. Over the years it has increased in size to over 1400. Much of the land that was acquired for the cemetery was rugged hillside and 25 million cubic yards of earth was moved to create the cemetery that we have today. Rose Hill is the final resting place for many of southern California's residents and with 2500 acres of land holdings, it will continue to prosper for many generations to come.

Famous Citizens: William Hopper, Actor
Frank Nixon, Father of former U.S. President Richard Nixon
Eric "Eazy-E" Wright, Rapper
Robert Chandler, Professional Football Player
William Roy "Link" Lyman, Professional Football Player
Wally Hood, Professional Baseball Player
Augustus Jenkins, R&B Pianist
Billy Laughlin (William Robert), Actor (played Froggy on The Little Rascals)

Items of Interest: Rose Hills houses several Mausoleums (including one that is the largest building of its kind in California), gardens, and fountains.

Contact: 3888 S. Workman Mill Road
Whittier, California 90601
Phone: (562) 699-0921

Website: www.rosehills.com

Hunter S. Thompson's Remains Shot Out of Cannon

One of the most unique final resting places has got to be that of Hunter S. Thompson. The popular American writer, who died February 20, 2005, had his ashes shot out of cannon. The writer of such hits as “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”, "Hey Rube" and "Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72" committed suicide in his home outside of Aspen, Colorado. He apparently shot himself while speaking with his wife on the phone. His family was not surprised by his suicide, citing that Hunter had been in a lot of pain recently due to several injuries. He was 67 at the time of his death. Keeping with his quirky character, he requested to be cremated and to have his ashes shot out of a cannon. He requested no other funeral.

Arlington National Cemetery

Location: Northern Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.

Age: Established in 1864.

Size: Large - At 612 acres, Arlington is the second largest cemetery in the United States. Over 260,000 people are buried at Arlington Cemetery.

Vacancies: Yes, but strict guidelines limit who may be buried there.

History: Arlington National Cemetery is located on land that once belonged to John Parke Custis, Martha Washington's son. Robert E. Lee also lived on the land before it became a cemetery. It was established as a military cemetery in 1864 and is now a National Monument and the final resting place for many of America's bravest soldiers, leaders and their families. The Department of the Army now maintains the cemetery.

Famous Citizens: William Howard Taft, Former U.S. President
John F. Kennedy, Former U.S. President
Glenn Miller, Famous Band Leader
Joe Louis, Prizefighter
Virgil (Gus) Grissom, Astronaut{br] Robert Peary, Explorer
Matthew Henson, Explorer
Medgar Evers, Civil Rights Leader
Earl Warren, U.S. Supreme Court Justice
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., U.S. Supreme Court Justice
Thurgood Marshall, U.S. Supreme Court Justice
Dashiell Hammett, Mystery Writer
The remains of the seven Space Shuttle Challenger crewmembers.

Items of Interest: Tombs of the Unknown Soldiers, the Confederate Monument, the Space Shuttle Challenger Memorial, and the Custis-Lee mansion.

Contact: Memorial Drive
Arlington, VA 22211
Phone: (703) 607-8585

Website: www.arlingtoncemetery.org

Cemetery Profile: Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery

Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery

Location: St. Louis, Missouri

Age: Established in 1866

Size: 331 Acres
Vacancies: Yes

History: Jefferson Barracks was the army's first permanent base west of the Mississippi River and remains one of the National Cemetery Administrations oldest sites. There are graves that date from the Civil War to WWII. It became an official national cemetery in 1866. In 1869 the recovered remains of 10,200 soldiers previously buried elsewhere were moved to Jefferson Barracks, causing tremendous growth. The cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.

Famous Citizens: Several notable Medal of Honor Burials
Soldiers from several wars

1,140 Confederate Soldiers

Samuel Marion Dennis, founder of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity at the University of Arkansas

Items of Interest: The Carillon Bell Tower, U.S. Submarine Veteran’s Memorial, Memorial dedicated to the memory of Merchant Marine Seamen and Navy Armed Guard, Blue Star Memorial Marker, The Memorial Chapel, a memorial for women who aided during the civil war, The Fort Bellefontaine Monument, and several other memorials for unknowns and war heros.

Contact: 2900 Sheridan Road
St. Louis, MO 63125
Phone: (314) 260-8691 or 260-8692

Website: http://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/jeffersonbarracks.asp