Alabama State Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Spanish Fort nears dedication

SPANISH FORT, Ala. (WALA) - Final preparations are underway for the opening of the new Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery in Spanish Fort.

The cemetery will be dedicated on Friday, fittingly, on the anniversary of Pearl Harbor, at 10 a.m. The public is invited to attend, but get there early, because officials said a large crowd is expected.

Dedication nears

It will soon be hallowed ground.

In the soil, off Highway 225 in Spanish Fort, will lay the men and women who have served our country with honor. It’s the new Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery in and it’s just days away from opening.

Cemetery supporter, Dr. Barry Booth said, “The first phase of the cemetery will last, they anticipate, will last 10 years and will hold approximately 2,400 in-ground burials there will be a scatter garden and column burials for remains.”

Booth has been one of the driving forces behind the cemetery.

With Mobile National Cemetery full since 1960, there has been nowhere, until now, for veterans in South Alabama to call their own for a final resting place.

“As opposed to Biloxi and Pensacola, Barranacas, they can be interred on Alabama soil,” Booth told us.

Pre-registration begins soon

Right now, there is no waiting list for the cemetery. That’s because pre-registration doesn’t begin until early next year. The first burials will happen shortly thereafter in the early springtime.

For Booth, it’s the culmination of years of hard work.

“It’s an emotional ending to a long process,” Dr. Booth told us.

Other phases will follow as the property spans over 100 acres. Burial space is expected to last for 100 years.