The Carlisle Indian School Cemetery was established on or adjacent to a burial ground with a complex history. Known as the “Old Burial Ground,” this cemetery may have originated during the British encampment during the French and Indian War (1757-1763) and appears to have been used for the burial of British prisoners of war and potentially others during the Revolutionary War. The Army assumed responsibility over the original cemetery in 1837, following the establishment of Carlisle Barracks.
Later, officials determined the cemetery was in an inappropriate location due to a pre-existing refuse dump and blacksmith shop. The Army funded the relocation of the cemetery to its present site in 1927, on .22 acres of land at the intersection of E. North Street and Jim Thorpe Road in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The first recorded interment date for the Carlisle Barracks Main Post Cemetery was Jan. 21, 1935. The cemetery’s 231 individual burial sites include U.S. military personnel, civilians, Native Americans and Unknowns. The last recorded interment date was Aug. 11, 2005, and the cemetery is closed to any future interments.
The Office of Army Cemeteries began disinterment operations of Native American and Alaskan Native children in 2017. The Army is actively working to assist in bringing healing and closure to Native American and Alaskan Native tribes and families whose children died after being sent to the Carlisle Indian Industrial School and who were buried there more than 100 years ago. Some tribes and families are seeking to return their ancestors' remains to their tribal homelands, while other families and tribes are choosing to keep their ancestors’ remains at the cemetery.
| Established: |
1879 |
| First Recorded Interment: |
1/21/1935 |
| Location: |
Intersection of E. North St. and Jim Thorpe Rd., Carlisle, PA 17013 |
| Burials: |
231 (U.S. Military Personnel; Civilians; Unknowns; Native Americans) |
| Columbarium: |
No |
| Acres: |
0.22 acres |
| Status: |
Closed to any future interments |
| Last Interment/Inurnment: |
8/11/2005 |
The Carlisle Barracks Main Post Cemetery is located on the Carlisle Barracks Army Installation in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Visitors to the cemetery must obtain a visitor pass or possess a Department of Defense ID (military and DoD civilians) to access the installation.
Visitors should plan for a 10-20-minute stop at the Carlisle Barracks Visitors Center, located at 870 Jim Thorpe Rd., for a background check to obtain a visitor pass. All visitors must present valid identification; a driver’s license or state identification is sufficient. Alternatively, you may request a background check prior to arrival as outlined at: https://www.armywarcollege.edu/visitorcenter.
Harrisburg International Airport (MDT) is the nearest major airport (with international and domestic flights), located 23 miles from Carlisle Barracks. Additional airports serving domestic destinations include Hagerstown Regional Airport (HGR), 45 miles from Carlisle Barracks, and Lancaster Airport (LNS), 48 miles from Carlisle Barracks.
Launch the Army Cemeteries Explorer for Carlisle Barracks Main Post Cemetery here to view a map and locate gravesites.
The Carlisle Barracks Disinterment Project began in 2017 at the request of surviving tribal and family members. It has operated every year since, except in 2020, due to COVID-19. To date, OAC has partnered with 17 federally recognized Native American tribes and Alaskan Native tribes to disinter the remains of 32 Native American and Alaskan Native children from the Carlisle Barracks Main Post Cemetery. These children have been returned to their native lands (Alaska, Arizona, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming) at the tribes’ and families’ request. In September 2023, the U.S. Army finalized its sixth disinterment project, returning four Native American children to their families. The Army conducts disinterments once a year and currently has 11 children scheduled for September 2024 and 18 children for fiscal year 2025. The project is now accepting requests for disinterment affidavits for fiscal year 2026.
The Office of Army Cemeteries conducts disinterment projects with forensic archaeological and anthropological expertise from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. OAC disinters remains and transfers custody to families and tribes able to establish the closest family link between the decedent and requestor, following Army Regulation 290-5. The transfer of custody enables families and tribes to return these children to cemeteries of their choice. The Army reimburses families for the travel to participate in the disinterment project and a subsequent transfer ceremony, as well as the cost for transport and reinterment of the children. OAC thoroughly and carefully reviews each request.
“The Army team of dedicated professionals maintains an environment of dignity and respect throughout each disinterment. We treat every gravesite, family, tribe and child the same way: with the utmost care and appreciation,” said Renea Yates, project director and director of the Office of Army Cemeteries.
CBDP Returned Native American & Alaska Native Decedent List
2023
- Amos LaFramboise, Sisseton Wahpeton Sioux
- Beau Neal, Northern Arapaho
- Edward Upright, Spirit Lake Sioux
- Edward Spott, Puyallup
- Remains were not consistent with burial records, reburied as Unknown.
- Launy Shorty, Blackfeet
2022
- Raleigh James, Washoe
- Paul Wheelock, Oneida
- Wade Ayres, Catawba
- Remains were not consistent with burial records, reburied as Unknown.
- Frank Green, Oneida
- Anastasia Ashowak, Alaskan Native
- Ellen Macy, Umpqua
- Anna Vereskin, Alaskan Native
- Lottie Sireech, Ute
2021
- Sophia Tetoff, Alaskan Native
- Warren Painter (Bears Paints Dirt), Rosebud Sioux
- Rose Long Face (Little Hawk), Rosebud Sioux
- Dora Her Pipe (Brave Bull), Rosebud Sioux
- Friend Hollow Horn Bear, Rosebud Sioux
- Dennis Strikes First (Blue Tomahawk), Rosebud Sioux
- Earnest Knocks Off (White Thunder), Rosebud Sioux
- Lucy Pretty Eagle, Rosebud Sioux
- Maud Little Girl, Rosebud Sioux
- Alvan (Kills Seven Horses), Rosebud Sioux
2020
- Project paused due to COVID-19
2019
- Sophia Caulton, Oneida
- Ophelia Powless, Oneida
- Adam McCarty, Madoc
- Jemima Metoxen, Oneida
- Alice Springer, Omaha
- Henry Jones, Iowa
2018
- Herbert Little Hawk, Oglala Sioux
- Little Plume, Northern Arapaho
- George Ell, Blackfeet
2017
- Little Chief, Northern Arapaho
- Horse, Northern Arapaho
Requested and approved for disinterment but pending due to Unknown location status
- Edward Spott, Puyallup (listed under 2023)
- Wade Ayres, Catawba (listed under 2022)
- Marry Kinnanook, Alaskan Native
- Ernest Knocks Off, Rosebud Sioux
- Solomon Brown, Gros Ventre
- Willie Curley, Cheyenne and Arapahoe
- Disinterment Request Forms
- Archival Research Report
- Please note that this report was published in 2017 and may not reflect current research.
- Listening Sessions and Consultation
- How to request a listening session or formal consultation:
- The Army extended invitations to consult all federally recognized tribes about the cemetery in 2016 and continues to do so annually. If you believe that you or your tribe have an ancestor buried at Carlisle and would like to consult on having their remains relocated to a cemetery or location of your choosing, please contact: Office of Army Cemeteries, 1 Memorial Drive, Arlington, VA 22211 or: usarmy.pentagon.hqda-anc-osa.mbx.carlisle-barracks-operations@army.mil.
- Consultation Goals Include:
- Assess tribes with ancestral remains interred at Carlisle Barracks Main Post Cemetery
- Assist tribal families to provide the Army with exhumation requests and affidavits
- Develop processes for sensitive treatment of remains before, during and after excavation
- Develop a process for legal transfer to families and transport of remains
- Work with tribes and families to develop a list of which tribal members will be in attendance during disinterment for ceremonial purposes or to take possession of remains
- From 2017 to 2023, the Army has returned the remains of 32 students to their closest living relatives and tribes. The Office of Army Cemeteries Senior Tribal Liaison and Senior Army Attorney for Cultural Resources and Native American Affairs can and will travel in person to meet with the tribes and families.
- Projected upcoming events
- The Army proactively seeks listening sessions and consultation with all federally recognized tribes nationwide. The OAC team intends to visit the following states in 2024:
- Iowa, North Dakota, and South Dakota – June 2024
- Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan – July 2024
- Alaska – October 2024
- Ground Penetrating Radar Survey (February 2017)
- Federal Register Notices of Disinterment
- Press Releases