Cemeteries and National Register

How can I place an Arkansas cemetery on the National Register of Historic Places?

Cemeteries are not normally eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places as they serve primarily as a means of an individual's recognition of family history and as expressions of collective religious and/or ethnic identities. Because cemeteries may embody values beyond personal or family-specific emotions, the National Register criteria allow for listing of cemeteries only under certain conditions.

A cemetery is eligible if at least 51 percent of the markers are 50 years old or older and it derives its primary significance from one of the following criteria:

• Contains graves of persons of transcendent importance (of great eminence in their field of endeavor or had a great impact upon the history of their community, state, or nation) 
• Or from its relative age in a particular geographic or cultural context (example: oldest cemetery associated with a town or community's original settlement period) 
• Or from distinctive design features
• Or from association with historic events.

The first step in determining if a cemetery is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places is completing our Determination of Eligibility Cemetery Form.

Presbyterian Cemetery