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Dayton National Cemetery was established in 1867 as a place to inter veterans who died while under the care of the Central Branch of the National Asylum for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers and Seamen (later re-named the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers). The first interment took place on September 11, 1867 for Cornelius Solly, a Civil War veteran who died while being treated at the asylum. A tunnel leading from the hospital morgue to the cemetery was constructed in the 1870's and used to transport the remains of deceased veterans until the early 20th century. Although the tunnel has been sealed-off, a portion of it can still be seen near the cemetery's maintenance area. The home became part of the Department of Veterans Affairs in 1930 under the Dayton VA Medical Center. The cemetery was administered as part of the medical center until 1973, when it was transferred to the National Cemetery Administration. The cemetery was designated a "National Shrine" in January, 2014, one of only 14 national cemeteries to receive the prestigious distinction. A new 2,000 niche columbarium was dedicated in July, 2014. There are a total of 49,751 persons interred in the cemetery.

Office Hours: Monday thru Friday 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Closed federal holidays except Memorial Day.

Visitation Hours: Open daily from dawn to dusk. Gates open every day.

Dayton National Cemetery, located in Montgomery County, Ohio, was established as the permanent burial site for residents of the Central Branch of the National Asylum for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers in 1867. It is one of 11 federal cemeteries affiliated with the system of National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers. Management of these facilities was transferred from the U.S. Army/National Home system to the newly created Veterans Administration in 1930.

The design of the cemetery is attributed to Chaplain (and Capt.) William B. Earnshaw, who was considered to have "judgment and taste" in these matters. Earnshaw served in the Army of the Potomac and the Army of the Cumberland, from which he was named superintendent at Stones River and Nashville National Cemeteries. In September 1867, Earnshaw arrived at the Dayton Soldiers Home, as it became known, having been encouraged to seek the position by Gen. George Thomas.

The Soldiers Home cemeteries were to be "laid out and cared for, as far as practicable, in the manner prescribed for National Cemeteries." The single-most visual cemetery construction is the lofty Soldiers' Monument around which faceted, concentric rows of graves are arranged. Two features found here are common to many older national cemeteries. There are two ornamental 19th-century cannons located at the base of Soldiers' Monument, and seven "Bivouac of the Dead" verse tablets.

When a death occurred here or a deceased veteran was delivered to the facility, the hospital's Council of Administration was notified and steps taken to protect the man's person and belongings prior to his removal to the morgue. A tunnel connecting the hospital and cemetery was built in 1870. Among the permanent improvements to the home in 1887 was the completion of a "new receiving vault" connected with the hospital, which was a "very great convenience to the institution." Furthermore, every resident was to be buried in a "clean suit of the Home uniform."

Standardized products were used in burials. "Class I" items used at the homes included standard-manufacture "coffin-lowering devices." Burial caskets were "to be made of good quality, well seasoned, soft lumber; to be covered with crapine, craponette or other suitable casket cloth of similar, inexpensive grade; to be lined inside with a good quality of bleached muslin, and to be provided with the usual trimmings of white metal; dimensions to be specified." In addition, according to National Home regulations, funerals were "conducted in accordance with military usage, the honors prescribed by the U.S. Army," including an officiating chaplain. It was also mandatory for "a band of the branch [to] attend all funerals, unless the weather is too inclement."

Between 1867 and the late 1880s, annual deaths in the Central Branch crept from six up to 847, a number that, according to Harper's magazine, was "remarkably low, considering the age and debility of the subjects." Annual deaths at Dayton by the end of the 19th century topped out at nearly 1,400. Between 1900 and 1930 (the year the Veterans Administration took over management), veteran deaths peaked between 1907 and 1918 (ranging from 2,331 to 2,352), with the highest single-year mortality in 1916 with 2,583 deaths. By this time, the small number of War of 1812 and Mexican War veterans had long since passed away. The youngest Civil War veterans were approaching their late sixties, and younger Spanish-American and World War I veterans would have taken up residency.

Monuments and Memorials
The Dayton Soldiers' Monument dominates the national cemetery from atop a mound at the center of the landscape. The cornerstone was laid in 1873, and it was completed in 1877. This dramatic structure is composed of a 30-foot marble column on a granite base with an ornamental cap and soldier posed at parade rest. The column was one of six that were salvaged from the Benjamin Henry Latrobe-designed Bank of Philadelphia when it was demolished in 1867-68. Latrobe worked on the White House and U.S. Capitol, and is credited with introducing Greek Revival architecture to America. The monument was designed by veterans at the soldiers' home and the Philadelphia-firm of William Struthers and Sons, expert stonemasons, carved the base, capital and statue. President Rutherford B. Hayes, Ohioan and former Union general, delivered the dedication address for the monument on Sept. 12, 1877, to a crowd of about 22,000. Some years after the dedication, four figures representing the Infantry, Cavalry, Artillery and Navy were added at the corners of the base. Two ornamental artillery cannons now flank the Soldiers' Monument.​

The "Memorial to 33 soldiers of the War of 1812 Buried in this Cemetery..." is a bronze plaque affixed to a tall boulder. The text continues: "Honoring Josephine C. Diefenbach state president 1915-1932. Erected by the Ohio Society United States Daughters of 1812 on the anniversary of Perry's Victory – September 10, 1936."