Fort Donelson National Cemetery Closed, Memorial Day Observance Moved

Severe weather on Saturday downed powerlines within the Fort Donelson National Cemetery, requiring closure of the cemetery to public access until further notice and for the relocation of the annual Memorial Day observance.

The Monday, May 27, Memorial Day observance will begin at 10:00 AM at the Stewart County Visitor Center, 117 Visitor Center Drive, Dover, Tennessee.  Aside from location, the program and participants remain unchanged.

Sunday storms downed trees, taking all lines that power the national cemetery and numerous residences adjacent to the impacted area.  Presently, multiple lines drape both the national cemetery accesses and the parking lot, blocking vehicle and pedestrian access points.

Pending no additional outages, the regional electric utility expressed a goal to reinstall the electric lines within the national cemetery on Monday morning, or before.  Currently, utility crews across the region are working non-stop to address the several thousand outages that remain, with all available crews on duty.  Additional severe storms are forecasted for Sunday evening into Monday morning.

According to Fort Donelson Superintendent Brian McCutchen, “Memorial Day is the highest date of visitation to the Fort Donelson National Cemetery, with veterans and families on-site to visit loved ones at rest and honored here.  Until access is restored, we invite everyone to the Memorial Day observance at the Stewart County Visitor Center.”

Updates as to Fort Donelson National Cemetery status will be posted to the park’s Facebook page and provided via an updated news release.  Information may also be obtained by calling the park ranger office at 931-232-5706.