Bay Pines National Cemetery

Bay Pines National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in Pinellas County, northwest of the city of St. Petersburg, Florida. It encompasses 27.3 acres (0.11 km²), and as of the end of 2005, had 23,952 interments.

Geography

Bay Pines is located at coor dms|27|48|31|N|82|46|21|W|city (27.819235, -82.776658)GR|1. Its address is 10,000 Bay Pines Blvd., North, Bay Pines, Florida in Pinellas County. It is adjacent to Bay Pines Veterans Hospital.

History

The site is believed to have been used as a burial ground as early as the Indian Wars, but did not become an official cemetery until March 15, 1933, when it was used to inter those who died in the nearby veteran hospitals. The first modern interment was made on April 25, 1933. By 1964, all available plots had been filled. In 1984 it was relandscaped and reorganized to allow for more space. In the same year, on May 28, administration of the cemetery was transferred to the Department of Veterans Affairs and it became a National Cemetery.

Notable monuments

There are two monuments at the cemetery entrance. The first, which is made of pink marble was erected in 1937 and is dedicated to "the memory of those who served their country". The other, which is a polished granite bench, is dedicated to the memory of World War I veterans.

See also

*United States Department of Veterans Affairs
*United States National Cemetery

References

External links

* [http://www.cem.va.gov/ National Cemetery Administration]
* [http://www.cem.va.gov/CEM/cems/nchp/baypines.asp Bay Pines National Cemetery]