National Cemetery Administration

Please Note: Cemetery offices are off-site. Willamette National Cemetery oversees this cemetery.

Visitation Hours: Open daily from dawn to dusk.

Office Hours at Willamette National Cemetery: Monday thru Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Closed federal holidays except Memorial Day (Hours are 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.) and Veterans Day (Hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)

This cemetery has space available to accommodate casketed and cremated remains.

Burial in a 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.

» Eligibility for Burial in a VA National 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.

A stroll through the Fort Stevens Cemetery, Hammond, OR, is calming. It offers one an opportunity to reflect on life. Here is a place of peace populated by war fighters. A small cemetery with 273 headstones recalls patriotism, heroism, and service.

The cemetery generally has no staff members present on the grounds during operating hours. Willamette National Cemetery oversees this cemetery, please call 503-273-5250. The cemetery is wheelchair-accessible; however, the topography may inhibit accessibly to all areas. The cemetery has very limited general parking available; the main thoroughfare to the cemetery is a private road with residences on both sides. Also, there are no restroom facilities at the cemetery.

For educational materials and additional information on this cemetery, please visit the Education section, located below.

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.

Artificial flowers and potted plants will be permitted on graves between November 1 and March 1. As a rule, artificial flowers and potted plants will be allowed on graves for a period extending five days before through five days after Easter Sunday and Memorial Day.

Holiday wreaths, grave pillows (2x2) and other seasonal adornments may be placed on graves from December 7 through January 5. They may not be secured to headstones or markers.

Permanent plantings, statues, vigil lights, breakable objects and similar items are not permitted on the graves. 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.

During the mowing season, arrangements are removed from gravesites on a weekly basis or when they become unsightly.

The headstones and the life histories of those at rest relates the history of the lower Columbia River and coastal area. This hallowed ground is the final resting place for local men and women who served in the military, as well as military spouses and children. There are also those who sacrificed their lives to save others and civilian builders who gave their lives to construct Columbia River defenses. The victims of the Graveyard of the Pacific (the treacherous mouth of the Columbia River) are also buried here.

In 1866 the Fort Stevens Quartermaster received authority to construct a cemetery. A serene site in a grove of trees was selected. Located on the road to Clatsop Plains, it was established as 165 feet by 104 feet, surrounded by a soldier-built white picket fence. In the fall of 1905, due to main cantonment expansion, the cemetery was moved to a new location on the southern edge of the post.

The War Department in 1912 ordered consolidation of cemeteries with Fort Stevens as the central location for this region. In 1913, fifty burials from Fort Canby were reinterred at Fort Stevens. The Fort Canby burials included Cape Disappointment Lighthouse personnel and family members.

The 1940s had few burials. In December 1949 the cemetery was transferred to the City of Hammond. The Army reacquired it in 1956 and maintained the active cemetery until its transfer to the National Cemetery Administration in 2020. There was a gap of over 20 years without a burial. In 1970, the cemetery became active again with two Vietnam War Soldiers laid to rest that year.