The property once belonged to founder of London, John Jackson, and his son. Jarvis Jackson. John Jackson died in 1833, and his wife, Mary, in 1846 and were buried here until 1940, when they were exhumed and reinterred at A.R. Dyche Cemetery. Jarvis Jackson is still buried here.

After the Civil War, the US Government wanted to relocate soldiers that he died in battle and been buried around the area in private cemeteries, on farms, by roadsides - soldiers who died in skirmishes and battles across the region. Jarvis Jackson donated the site for a national cemetery because it had often been used by Union and Confederate troops as strategic high ground during the war, as it is adjacent to the Wilderness Road, and because the grounds were already established as a cemetery.

In 1867, 269 soldiers were exhumed from a 30 by 50 mile area around London and buried at the new London National Cemetery. Their eternal rest was short, because in July 1868, 260 soldiers were exhumed again and relocated to the National Cemetery at Camp Nelson.

Reasons for closing London National Cemetery range from grave desecration by Southern sympathizers to the distance away from the closest military facility making it difficult to properly maintain the cemetery.

There are a few Union soldiers and 3 Confederate soldiers who are still buried here. It is also believed that some soldiers from the 41st Ohio, who died at Camp Wickliffe in Larue Co in 1862, are buried at Breastworks and were brought here even before it was designated a National Cemetery. It is unknown as to why they were brought here, but possibly because there were many Confederate sympathizers in Larue Co and fear of grave desecration could be the reason for bringing them to London. Those soldiers, an unknown number, are in some of the 300 plus unmarked graves.

Today, there are approximately 160 known graves and over 300 unknown graves. The property is maintained by the City of London.