Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial Virtual Tour

Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial, 1932. Image 117-MC-4-40.

Still Picture Branch, National Archives

Aisne-Marne American Cemetery & Memorial is located in Belleau, France. It is administered by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC), a U.S. government agency created in 1923 to coordinate redesign of the eight permanent overseas World War I cemeteries established by the U.S. War Department. ABMC was also charged with creating lasting and impressive monuments to the accomplishments of the American Expeditionary Forces in Belgium, France, and Great Britain.

Prominent French-born American architect Paul P. Cret served as consulting architect for all the ABMC World War I commemoration projects. The renowned Boston architectural firm of Cram & Ferguson designed the chapel, new entrance gates, visitor building and staff quarters at Aisne-Marne which were constructed from 1929-33. Also included in this tour is the nearby Belleau Wood, where the Belleau Wood Monument - sculpted by the American artist Felix de Weldon - was placed in 1955.

Project Information

Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) undertook Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS) documentation of Aisne-Marne American Cemetery & Memoria in 2016. Richard O'Connor was Chief of HDP. The project was sponsored by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC), Honorable Max Cleland, Secretary, Robert Dalessandro, Deputy Secretary, Headquarters, and John Wessels, Deputy Secretary, Overseas Operations. Project planning was coordinated by Paul Dolinsky, Chief, HALS, and by Alec Bennett, Historian, ABMC. The field work, including hand measuring and terrestrial laser scanning, was undertaken by Project Supervisor Christopher M. Stevens, HALS Landscape Architect, and HDP Architects Dana Lockett, Daniel De Sousa, Jason W. McNatt, and Ryan Pierce. Stevens, McNatt, Pierce, and Landscape Architecture Technicians Charles Canfield (University at Buffalo) and Alexander Esparolini-Hernandez (Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico) produced the measured drawings. The historical reports were written by HABS Historian Lisa P. Davidson. On-site assistance at Aisne-Marne was provided by Shane J. Williams, Superintendent, Constant Lebastard, Cemetery Associate, and by the ABMC garden and maintenance staff.

For additional information, please visit the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery website.

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  Virtual Tour

  Panoramic tour of the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial

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  HALS Documentation

  Archival documentation at the Library of Congress

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  ABMC Documentation

  Archival documentation of ABMC properties at the Library of Congress

American Battle Monuments Commission

The American Battle Monuments Commission, established by the Congress in 1923, is an agency of the executive branch of the federal government. ABMC—guardian of America's overseas commemorative cemeteries and memorials—honors the service, achievements and sacrifice of U.S. Armed Forces. ABMC's commemorative mission includes:

- Designing, constructing, operating and maintaining permanent American cemeteries in foreign countries.
- Establishing and maintaining U.S. military memorials, monuments and markers where American armed forces have served overseas since April 6, 1917, and within the United States when directed by public law.
- Controlling the design and construction of permanent U.S. military monuments and markers by other U.S. citizens and organizations, both public and private, and encouraging their maintenance.