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.
Click here, to find out more detailed information about the National Register listing process.
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.
Determination of Eligibility for Cemeteries (1066 KB)
Presbyterian Cemetery