The American Legion Cemetery, Seward Alaska
The American Legion Cemetery was created on November 6, 1933, when the City Council voted to provide American Legion Post #5 with a one-acre burial area within the city’s original 40-acre cemetery reserve. This was accomplished during a City Council Meeting under motion by Councilman Elwyn Swetmann, seconded by Councilman Stanton on this date. The motion was unanimously carried. The total area of use for the American Legion Cemetery is now s approximately one-and-half developed acres with another undeveloped one acre of land.in 1984 the area was formally platted as Lot 3, Fort Raymond Subdivision. In 1996 the City of Seward passed Resolution Number 96-132 to formally transfer the cemetery (Lot 3, Fort Raymond Subdivision) to Seward Post #5 for Cemetery purposes.
The cemetery is accessed via Aspen Lane off the Seward Highway next to the Chamber of Commerce. The members of the Post, Sons and Auxiliary have consistently been maintaining this cemetery for nearly 90 years. Over the years our American Legion Family has made improvements to the cemetery to honor our veterans; the post created a Flag Dais in the 1970’s for ceremonies and to consistently fly the US and all service flags. Upon the creation of the Space Force Service, Squadron #5 installed the sixth service flagpole to integrate the Space Force into the flag dais to honorable place this service with all our other military services. Additionally, in the year 2021the post secured a grant through the Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA), Office of Veteran Affairs to purchase two columbaria for the burial of deceased veterans cremains. To this day, the American Legion Seward Post 5 continues to superbly maintain the cemetery and honor all those who have “reported” to Post Everlasting.
