FLORENCE, S.C. — Florence National Cemetery, the veterans burial ground that dates to the Civil War, is close to adding 15 more acres, a move staff say would open room for roughly 4,000 more graves.
The cemetery now spreads across 22 acres and holds about 14,000 gravesites. Staff said the added land is in the final stages of approval and would also bring a columbarium to hold cremated remains plus a new administration building. They hope crews can start the work early next year.
The site was set aside in 1865 for Union soldiers held as prisoners who perished in the Florence Jail and Stockade. It grew across the street in the early 1980s, and the newer annex sits at 1001 Stockade Dr., about a mile east of Florence Regional Airport. It has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1998.
Any qualified veteran may be buried there, and families do not pay for the burial or the long-term upkeep of the grave, according to staff.
Grounds are open every day during daylight hours, and the office runs Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Artificial flowers and potted plants are allowed on graves from Oct. 10 through April 15.
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