Beverly National Cemetery
Visitation Hours: Open daily from 8:00 a.m. to sunset.
Office Hours: This cemetery is administered by Washington Crossing National Cemetery.
Beverly National Cemetery is closed to new interments. The only interments that are being accepted are subsequent interments for veterans or eligible family members in an existing gravesite. Periodically however, burial space may become available due to a canceled reservation or when a disinterment has been completed. When either of these two scenarios occurs, the gravesite is made available to another eligible veteran on a first-come, first-served basis. Since there is no way to know in advance when a gravesite may become available, please contact the cemetery at the time of need to inquire whether space is available.
Planning ahead for a Veteran's or loved-one's final resting place can eliminate unnecessary delays and reduce stress on a family at a difficult time.
Request eligibility status for:
- Veteran or servicemember
- Spouse
- Dependent family member
Burial in a VA national cemetery is open to all members of the armed forces who have met a minimum active duty service requirement and were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable.
A Veteran's spouse, widow or widower, minor dependent children, and under certain conditions, unmarried adult children with disabilities may also be eligible for burial. Eligible spouses and children may be buried even if they predecease the Veteran.
Members of the reserve components of the armed forces who die while on active duty or who die while on training duty, or were eligible for retired pay, may also be eligible for burial.
From Philadelphia International Airport take 95 North to Walt Whitman Bridge to 295 North exit 45B Willingboro to cemetery. From New Jersey Turnpike take exit 5 to Route 541 West toward Burlington, to Route 130 South, to Bridgeboro Road to cemetery.
Fax all discharge documentation to the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 1-866-900-6417 and follow-up with a phone call to 1-800-535-1117.
For information on scheduled burials in our national cemeteries, please go to the Daily Burial Schedule.
This cemetery is managed by the Washington Crossing National Cemetery. The mailing address is 830 Highland Road, Newtown, PA 18940.
Military Funeral Honors
Please contact your local funeral director or a representative from Beverly National Cemetery to make arrangements for Military Funeral Honors.
For educational materials and additional information on this cemetery, please visit the Education section, located below.
You can place fresh cut flowers on your loved one's grave throughout the year.
Floral items will be removed from graves when they become faded or unsightly. They may also be removed to allow mowing. Government supplied plastic flower containers are available for your use and located within the cemetery.
You can place artificial flowers on graves from November 1st through April 1st. Artificial flowers are also allowed five days prior to Memorial Day. They will be removed five days after the holiday.
From December 1st through January 10th, holiday wreaths less than 18 inches in diameter and no higher than the headstone and grave blankets that are less than 2 feet by 3 feet may be placed on graves. Holiday wreaths and grave blankets will be removed after January 20.
To preserve the dignity and appearance of your loved one's final resting place, the following items aren't allowed at headstones or columbariums:
- Alcoholic products
- Balloons, candles, or vigil lights
- Decorative and breakable glass, plastic items, or objects
- Non-government supplied floral containers (pots, planters, glass vase, etc.)
- Objects such as rocks or other durable items, beads or wires that when mowing or performing maintenance could become projectiles or become entangled in equipment that may cause injury
- Offensive items or those deemed contrary to honoring Veterans
- Permanent in-ground plantings
- Pinwheels or windchimes
- Statues or stuffed animals
- Weapons of any kind, explosives, or ammunition
Please note:
- Floral items or decorations may not be secured to headstones.
- In-ground floral containers may not be placed in new cemeteries or new sections of national cemeteries.
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.
Beverly National Cemetery is located in Burlington County's Edgewater Park, in the city of Beverly, NJ.
The original cemetery was only one acre, purchased from a local resident in 1863. The plot was located in the northwest corner of the town cemetery surrounded by a picket fence. Additional land was acquired in 1936, 1937, 1948 and 1951.
The cemetery was established to provide a burial site for veterans who died in one of two nearby hospitals. Of the original 147 Union soldiers buried at Beverly National Cemetery, only 10 are unknown. For much of its history, the cemetery handled relatively few interments. The number of interments grew dramatically, however, when space became unavailable at Philadelphia National Cemetery. Beverly National Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force that can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States. Recipients receive the Medal of Honor from the President on behalf of Congress. It was first awarded during the Civil War and the eligibility criteria, medal design, and recognition on a recipients' grave marker have all evolved over time. There are 433 Medal of Honor recipients interred at VA national cemeteries including 6 double recipients.
» Medal of Honor recipients interred or memorialized here:
Hospital Corpsman Third Class Edward C. Benfold (Korea). He received the Medal of Honor posthumously for service in the U.S. Navy in recognition of conspicuous gallantry and self-sacrifice in Korea, September 5, 1952. Benfold is buried in Section DS, Site 12.
Sergeant First Class Nelson Vogel Brittin (Korea). He received the Medal of Honor posthumously for service in the U.S. Army, Company I, 19th Infantry, in recognition of conspicuous gallantry and self-sacrifice in the vicinity of Yonggong-ni, Korea, March 7, 1951. Brittin is buried in Section DS, Site 2.
First Sergeant John W. Dutko (World War II). He received the Medal of Honor posthumously for service in the U.S. Army, 3rd Infantry Division, in recognition of conspicuous gallantry and self-sacrifice near Ponte Rotto, Italy, May 23, 1944. Dutko is buried in Section DS, Site 1.
First Sergeant Barnard A. Strasbaugh (Civil War). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, Company A, 3rd Maryland Infantry, for actions in Petersburg, VA, June 17, 1864. His citation was awarded under the name of Bernard A. Strausbaugh. He died in November 1864 and is buried in Section 1, Site 102.
Other Burials
Captain Caleb Bruen (Revolutionary War). Bruen (1735–1818) hailed from Newark, NJ and worked as a cabinet maker before the Revolutionary War. When that conflict began, he enlisted in Joseph Alling's Company of Essex County Minute Men in 1776. That same year he became captain of a company of artificers (skilled artisans and carpenters) who constructed numerous fortifications during the New York Campaign. In April 1777, he was captured by Loyalists and was released three months later on the condition that he serve as a spy for the British. Incredibly, Bruen became a double agent, funneling useful intelligence to General Nathanael Greene. In 1781 he was found out and imprisoned in a dungeon for ten months, where he nearly starved to death. After the war, General Henry Knox agreed to pay Bruen $300 for his "services and sufferings." Bruen passed away at the age of 82 and was originally interred in the graveyard of Newark's First Presbyterian Church. His remains were moved to Beverly National Cemetery on June 23, 1959 and he now rests in Section S, Site 193.
More than half of VA's national cemeteries originated with the Civil War and many are closed to some burials. Other sites were established to serve World War veterans and they continue to expand. Historic themes related with NCA's cemeteries and soldiers' lots vary, but visitors should understand "Why is it here?" NCA began by installing interpretive signs, or waysides, at more than 100 properties to observe the Civil War Sesquicentennial (2011–2015). Please follow the links below to see the interpretive signs for Beverly National Cemetery.
Visit the Veterans Legacy Program and NCA History Program for additional information. Thank you for your interest.
