Houston National Cemetery

Houston National Cemetery, located in Harris County, Texas, is a historic veterans cemetery that spans 419.2 acres and is home to over 111,000 interments as of 2021. Established in 1965 and designated a national cemetery in 1973, it is notable for being the only government cemetery built in the U.S. during the 1960s. The cemetery features the impressive Hemicycle, a semi-circular monument with a chapel and a 75-foot bell tower, making it a significant site for memorial ceremonies. Among its notable interments are several Medal of Honor recipients and prominent figures such as Dan Bankhead, the first African American MLB pitcher, and Margie Duty, the first African American woman on the Houston police force. The cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017, making it a poignant destination for both tourists and researchers interested in American military history.