In 1862, in the midst of the Civil War, President Lincoln signed into law the establishment of national cemeteries “for the soldiers who shall die in the service of their country.” The first bell tower was installed at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. Approved by an Act of Congress in October 1949, the bell tower was dedicated by President Harry S. Truman on December 21, 1949 with his now immortal words, “…As these bells ring …honored dead rest … freedom lives…”. The 250-acre national cemetery in Tallahassee, Florida, will serve the burial needs of more than 83,000 veterans and their spouses and dependent children in the cemetery’s service area over the next 100 years. The Department of Veterans Affairs purchased the land in Leon County in August 2012 for $6.8 million. The new cemetery property is bounded by Apalachee Parkway on the north and Old St. Augustine Road on the south.