Veteran Cemeteries

Soldiers’ lot · VA-listed site

Woodlawn Cemetery Soldiers' Lot

Ayer, Massachusetts

A soldiers’ lot is a government burial plot inside a cemetery that is otherwise privately or locally owned. The surrounding cemetery is not VA-managed.

Location

Harvard Road
Ayer, MA 01432

The map point uses coordinates from a VA dataset. It marks the site approximately and has not been checked against the visitor entrance. Get directions · View on OpenStreetMap

Visiting

Address
Harvard Road, Ayer, MA 01432
Phone
508-563-7113 · Fax 508-564-9946
Visiting hours
Open daily from sunrise to sunset.
Office hours
Monday thru Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Closed federal holidays except Memorial Day.
Time zone
Eastern Time
Burial space
Closed
Accessibility
Not yet verified — call the cemetery to ask about parking and paths.
Official page
cem.va.gov

Hours and contact details are as published on the VA’s page for this cemetery, checked November 11, 2026. Hours change for holidays, weather and ceremonies.

Flowers and grounds policy, from the VA

Cemetery policies are conspicuously posted and readily visible to the public.

Floral arrangements accompanying the casket or urn at the time of burial will be placed on the completed grave. Natural cut flowers may be placed on graves at any time of the year. They will be removed when they become unsightly or when it becomes necessary to facilitate cemetery operations such as mowing. Water will be available at outside faucets from April 15 to October 10.

Containers such as pots, baskets, etc. are not authorized. Privately owned, permanent in-ground flower containers are not allowed.

Artificial flowers will be permitted on graves from October 10 through April 15 and may be removed when their presence interferes with grounds maintenance. Potted plants will be allowed on graves for a period extending 10 days before through 10 days after Easter Sunday.

Christmas wreaths, grave pillows (3x2) and other seasonal adornments may be placed on graves from December 1 through January 20. They may not be secured to headstones or markers.

Flags and flag holders are not permitted on graves at any time. The Avenue of Flags, which consists of donated casket flags, is displayed on Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and other special occasions in lieu of individual grave flags.

Permanent plantings, statues, vigil lights, wind chimes, breakable objects and similar items are not permitted on cemetery grounds. The Department of Veterans Affairs does not permit adornments that are considered offensive, inconsistent with the dignity of the cemetery or considered hazardous to cemetery personnel. For example, items incorporating beads or wires may become entangled in mowers or other equipment and cause injury.

Unauthorized items removed from graves and surrounding areas will be disposed of in a proper manner.

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

The private and community cemeteries that contain NCA soldiers' and government lots, and Confederate cemeteries, do not always have staffed offices on site. When administrative information for the larger cemetery is available, it is provided below.

This soldiers' lot is overseen by the Massachusetts National Cemetery.

Please contact the national cemetery for more information.

Directions from Nearest Airport
Woodlawn Cemetery is located on Harvard Road near Willard Street. Head west on Route 2 and take Route 110 - 111 exit. The cemetery will be on the left; the soldiers' lot is located in the back of the cemetery.


Planning a visit to a veterans 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.

The soldiers' lot is located in Ayer, Massachusetts, in Section 1, lots 193, 203, 206, and 211, of Woodlawn Cemetery. The federal government purchased the lots from Woodlawn Cemetery in 1918. Most of the 52 men interred in the soldiers' lot died at Fort Devens, which is located nearby. The last interment was made in 1931. All of the interments in the soldiers' lot are known.

Camp Devens was established in 1917 as part of the World War I mobilization effort. It was named after Major General Charles Devens, a Civil War veteran and Attorney General in the administration of Rutherford B. Hayes. Over the course of World War I, more than 100,000 troops came through the gates of Camp Devens. In 1931, the installation was renamed Fort Devens, and it continued to serve as a post for active duty soldiers until 1996, when it transitioned into an Army Reserve training center.


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

Distances are straight-line, not driving distances. All listed sites in Massachusetts

Sources

  1. 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.
  2. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration. Woodlawn Cemetery Soldiers' Lot (official cemetery page). Retrieved November 11, 2026.
  3. Map position: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration. VA National Cemetery Sites (dataset).

This page was imported from the sources above and has not yet been individually reviewed by an editor. See the methodology.