Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery

Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. . , National Cemeteries for World War Veterans , The U.S. Army managed the National Cemetery System until its transfer to what is now the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in 1973. It established cemeteries out of necessity during the Civil War (1861-1865), primarily in the South, usually expanding or supplementing existing cemeteries to provide additional burial space. Cemeteries were concentrated east of the Mississippi River and were relatively small in size. They were inadequate to meet the needs of twentieth-century veterans, whose population spiked with service in the Spanish-American War (1898-1902) and World War I (1917-1918). Internal Army studies, spurred by veterans' groups, led to the first major expansion of the system. Seven national cemeteries were constructed using Works Progress Administration (WPA) funds in 1934-1939 in locations determined by the population. VA still uses this methodology to guide its cemetery development today. Expansion was timely, as World War II (1941-1945) ushered in a volume of veterans never before seen in the nation's history. , , Post Cemetery to National Cemetery , The post cemetery at Fort Rosecrans was the predecessor to today's Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. During this early period, it became the final resting place for sailors killed in the July 21, 1905, boiler explosion on the USS Bennington. After this incident, high-ranking Army and Navy officials made several attempts to designate the post cemetery as a national cemetery, but the War Department refused, arguing that San Francisco National Cemetery provided ample burial space. , , Ultimately, however, the increase in eligible Veterans as well as the continued presence of thousands of active-duty military on the Pacific coast strained the capacity of San Francisco National Cemetery, leading to the establishment of Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery by the War Department on October 5, 1934. Much of the construction of Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery was accomplished by the WPA. By 1936 recognizable features such as the open rostrum and Spanish Eclectic-style superintendent's lodge and maintenance facility had begun to take shape. Cemetery construction was largely completed by March 1938.