State Sets July Goal For Purchasing Veterans Cemetery Site

A location for the Upper Cumberland State Veterans Cemetery could be selected by this summer.

State Department of Veterans Services Assistant Commissioner Travis Murphy said the new government leadership team remains committed to finding property.

“We still continue to shoot for a July time frame when we can certify to the National Cemetery Administration that we own property and have 10-percent of the design and architectural engineering funding,” Murphy said. “If you get the information to the National Cemetery Administration in July it just helps with priority.”

Murphy said State of Tennessee Real Estate Asset Management Team continues searching for land that meets National Cemetery Administration requirements.

“What we’ve asked them for in March is a small list of properties that meet those requirements,” Murphy said. “and that they’ve contacted the owners and that there is some willingness to explore selling.”

Murphy said the land would likely be located near larger population centers.

“The Cumberland and Putnam Counties have the largest concentration,” Murphy said. “We’re not exclusively looking here, but we’ve explored Putnam, the northern part of White, Cumberland and a little bit on the edge of Smith.”

Meantime, the new State Veterans Services Commissioner has expressed support for constructing an Upper Cumberland cemetery.

During a January budget hearing with Governor Bill Lee, Commissioner Courtney Rogers said building the cemetery would help achieve a state goal.

“It is our objective to make sure that our families, between state cemeteries and national cemeteries, are within 75-miles of their loved ones,” Rogers said. “We opened up Parkers Crossroads and now we’re looking at trying to achieve land up there in the Upper Cumberland.”

The General Assembly has already appropriated $600,000 to help purchase the land. The Upper Cumberland State Veterans Cemetery Association (UCSVCA) has collected nearly $200,000 in county donations.