The Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs will host a public town hall on June 18 at 6 p.m. at Madison County High School to provide updates and information on the development of a new state veterans cemetery in North Alabama.

The town hall will give community members an opportunity to learn more about the project, ask questions and view renderings of the planned cemetery. ADVA officials will discuss the cemetery’s purpose, timeline and the benefits it will provide to veterans and their families across the region.
ADVA officially acquired land for the new state veterans cemetery in March. The cemetery will be located in Madison County just off Interstate 65 near Maysville Road.

The planned cemetery will include a committal shelter, administration building, graves, columbarium niches and a scatter garden. The cemetery will serve veterans and their eligible family members from North Alabama and is expected to provide service to the region for approximately 200 years, with planned expansions occurring each decade.

Once completed, the cemetery is expected to serve veterans and families from Chattanooga, Nashville and Montevallo, helping expand access to dignified burial options for veterans throughout the region.

The project received authorization for a $13.5 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to support development of the cemetery. Congressman Dale Strong (AL-05) has been a strong advocate for the project, emphasizing the importance of ensuring veterans and their families have access to honorable final resting places close to home. Continued support from Governor Kay Ivey and state and local partners has also been instrumental in advancing the project.

The cemetery will provide dignified burial benefits at no cost for honorably discharged veterans, their spouses and eligible dependents. Burial Equity Act provisions will also allow eligible members of the Alabama National Guard and Reserve with at least 20 years of service to receive federal cemetery burial benefits.

Construction is expected to begin in late summer 2026 pending final property acquisition and design completion. Project construction is anticipated to take approximately one year.