Augusta Area Veterans Cemetery to Begin Construction With $10M Federal Grant

A new state veterans cemetery near Augusta will break ground by the end of 2026, per The Augusta Chronicle. The project secured up to $10 million in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' State Cemetery Grants Program.

Developers hope to open the burial site in 2028 if the current timeline holds. Representatives of the Georgia Department of Veterans Services and site designer 2KM Architects updated the Augusta Commission in May about the proposed construction schedule.

Plans have changed for the entrance location on the state property. The new cemetery entrance moved from Tobacco Road to a curve on Byrd Road near where it crosses a Norfolk Southern Railroad line. Gracewood has about 200 feet of Byrd frontage.

Existing buildings and sections of paved roads on the property will be torn down to make way for a new road system. The redesigned layout centers on a ceremonial courtyard with burial sections on either side.

The first construction phase includes an administration building, new internal roads, initial burial sections, and the ceremonial courtyard. Across the road from the courtyard will sit a memorial wall and a columbarium, an above-ground interment structure where niches can hold cremated remains.

The columbarium will overlook a duck pond on the property that will be kept during construction. A roundabout in the cemetery will surround a carillon, a tower with chromatically tuned bells that can be played with a keyboard.

Once completed, the facility will expand burial options for veterans and their families in the region. The site will add a dedicated state veterans cemetery to serve the area.