VA national cemetery
New Bern National Cemetery
New Bern, North Carolina
Location
1711 National Avenue
New Bern, NC 28560
Visiting
- Address
- 1711 National Avenue, New Bern, NC 28560
- Phone
- 252-637-2912
- Visiting hours
- Open daily from sunrise to sunset.
- Office hours
- Monday thru Friday 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Closed federal holidays except Memorial Day and Veterans Day.
- Time zone
- Eastern Time
- Burial space
- Closed
- Accessibility
- Not yet verified
- Official page
- cem.va.gov
Flowers and grounds policy, from the VA
The floral and grounds policy below reflects the honor and respect we hold for our Nation's Veterans, by preserving the dignity and solemnity of their final resting place.
These items are welcome:
- Fresh-cut flowers (Anytime)
- Temporary Floral Containers (Located throughout the cemetery for public use)
- Artificial Flowers (November 1 through April 1)
- Flags (Anytime)
- Potted Plants (a week before until a week after Easter Sunday)
- Holiday Wreaths & Grave Blankets less than 2 x 3ft (December 1 through January 10 and will be removed after January 20).
All items placed at gravesite are inspected daily and:
- May be removed when they become withered, faded, or unsightly.
- May be removed for mowing and trimming, in season.
- May NOT stand taller than the headstone.
- May NOT be secured to the headstone.
These items are prohibited:
- Permanent plantings and vases, statues, vigil lights, breakable objects, and similar items
- Hazardous materials
- Glass, metal, and toys
- Candles, balloons, wind chimes, and pinwheels
The Department of Veterans Affairs does not permit adornments that might be considered offensive, inconsistent with the dignity of the cemetery, or considered hazardous to cemetery personnel. For example, items incorporating beads or wires which may become entangled in mowers or other equipment and cause injury.
Note: Unauthorized items will be removed immediately.
Weapons Policy
VA regulations 38 CFR 1.218 prohibit the carrying of firearms (either openly or concealed), explosives or other dangerous or deadly weapons while on VA property, except for official purposes, such as military funeral honors.
Possession of firearms on any property under the charge and control of VA is prohibited. Offenders may be subject to a fine, removal from the premises, or arrest.
General information, from the VA
Military Funeral Honors
Either the family or a funeral director must make arrangements for military funeral honors. When these arrangements have been made, please notify the cemetery representative.
Some telephone numbers which may be helpful in obtaining military funeral honors are:
Local Numbers for Military Funeral Honors:
U.S. Air Force: 919-722-5324
U.S. Army: 910-396-4262
U.S. Coast Guard: 757-398-6390
U.S. Marine Corps: 910-451-2414
U.S. Navy: 904-542-1536
The Department of Veterans Affairs and cemetery staff members do not exercise authority over the extent, content, or nature of honors and ceremonies furnished by the individual branches of the military service. Questions and inquiries regarding these matters should be directed to the branch of service in which the veteran served.
Directions from Nearest Airport
Cemetery is located one mile northwest of Tryon Place and Broad Street. Travel west on Broad Street (U.S. 70 Business) then right onto George Street. Continue to National Avenue to the cemetery.
Pay your respects
Visitors to veterans’ graves sometimes leave a coin on the headstone to show that someone came. You can leave a symbolic coin here. No money is involved, and nothing about you is published. About the custom, and what each coin is said to mean.
History
Reproduced from the VA National Cemetery Administration’s page for this cemetery, retrieved November 11, 2026. This is the VA’s text, unedited; it is not independent research by this site.
New Bern National Cemetery is located in New Bern, Craven County, NC. Founded in 1710, New Bern is the second-oldest city in the state, founded by German and Swiss adventurers whose commander was from city of the same name in Switzerland. Prior to the American Revolution, Royal Gov. William Tryon made this seaport his colonial capitol and commissioned the construction of Tryon Palace in 1770.
Although there was some dissension within the state regarding secession, North Carolina chose to leave the Union on May 20, 1861. Ultimately, it supplied more men and materials to the Confederate cause than any other southern state. It also suffered the largest number of losses. New Bern was captured early in the war. By August 1861, the Union army had secured the Pamlico Sound inlets after defeating the Confederate forces and taking Forts Clark and Hatteras. By winter 1862, Gen. A.E. Burnside and Commodore L.M. Goldsborough had seized the Confederate positions on Roanoke Island and New Berne (as it was originally spelled). Union control of the inner coastal position tightened the blockade of the North Carolina coast, but the state held out until April 26, 1865, when Gen. Joseph Johnston surrendered the last major Confederate army to Gen. William T. Sherman near Durham, NC.
New Bern National Cemetery was officially established February 1, 1867. Many of the burials at New Bern are reinterments of remains from the surrounding area, including Beaufort, Hatteras and locations along the coast. Over 1,000 unknowns are buried in a separate section.
New Bern National Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.
Monuments and Memorials
The granite New Jersey Monument was erected by that state in 1905. It is dedicated to the memory of the 9th New Jersey Regiment Volunteer Infantry.
The Massachusetts Monument is a granite memorial erected by the commonwealth in 1908 in memory of Massachusetts's soldiers and sailors who died in North Carolina during the Civil War.
The Connecticut Monument was erected by that state in 1908. The memorial was dedicated to the memory of Connecticut men who died of yellow fever during the Civil War, as well as those who fell in action by 1865.
The Rhode Island Monument is composed of a granite base topped by a bronze figure. Dedicated October 6, 1909, it was donated by the state of Rhode Island in honor of its volunteers who died in North Carolina during the Civil War. The monument was designed and sculpted by William W. Manatt of Providence, RI.
Notable burials and memorials
Reproduced from the VA’s page for this cemetery, retrieved November 11, 2026, including Medal of Honor recipients where the VA lists them. Links lead to the VA’s own records. To correct an entry, contact the VA; to tell us our copy is out of date, report it.
Nearby veterans cemeteries
Sources
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration. Find a Cemetery: all national cemeteries, and each cemetery’s own page. U.S. government work (public domain). Retrieved November 11, 2026. Used for: name, address, phone and burial-space status, hours, policies, history and notable burials.
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration. New Bern National Cemetery (official cemetery page). Retrieved November 11, 2026.
- Map position: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration. VA National Cemetery Sites (dataset).