ABILENE — Today, Veterans Land Board (VLB) Chairwoman and Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, M.D. announces the City of Abilene has assumed daily management of the Texas State Veterans Cemetery (TSVC) in Abilene. The terms of this agreement went into effect on October 1, 2023. However, the cemetery remains under VLB ownership.

“As a former State Senator who represented Abilene in the Texas Senate for six years, I am honored to once again work with the City of Abilene in a new capacity –remembering and honoring our dedicated Veterans in the beautiful Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Abilene,” said Commissioner Buckingham. "Together, we will carefully care for these revered grounds, which carry the legacies of our nation's heroes, and ensure they are maintained with dignity for generations.”

"We are excited to bring the Texas State Veterans Cemetery team into the City of Abilene family and to provide management of the cemetery," said City of Abilene Mayor Weldon Hurt. "The work is an invaluable service to our community, and to the men and women who have served our country. Moreover, it allows the Veterans Land Board to maximize their resources in the furtherance of their mission to serve our State's Veterans. It is our honor to do this."

The City of Abilene will be responsible for providing burial services, maintaining the building, grounds, headstones, and equipment of the TSVC at Abilene.

The TSVC at Abilene was dedicated on Memorial Day, May 25, 2009 and opened on June 1, 2009. It is the third TSVC built and run by the VLB under the Texas General Land Office. The cemetery's current developed size 31 acres with up to 35,000 burial plots.   

Any member of the United States Armed Forces who dies while on active duty or any Veteran who was discharged under conditions other than dishonorable may be eligible for burial in a national or state Veterans cemetery. For more information, Veterans and families can visit: vlb.texas.gov/cemeteries.