Engraving & Add-ons in Illinois
Dates, inscriptions, portraits, medallions and QR codes — mobile and in-shop, laser and sandblast. Served across Illinois with a local network near Plainfield.
Engraving & Add-ons across Illinois, coordinated from first call to final photo
Add new dates, names and details to an existing monument, or personalize a new one. Our engraving team works both on-site at the cemetery and in-shop, using laser and sandblast etching for inscriptions, portraits, medallions and even QR codes. Send close-up photos so the team can assess the existing lettering and agree a suitable approach.
In Illinois, engraving & add-ons is supported by our 1 showroom and warehouse location in Plainfield. These are listed locations, not a promise of shorter lead times or lower charges. Confirm access, crew availability and the full scope for your cemetery before booking.
We work with monuments purchased from any retailer — not just our own family of brands — and every visit in Illinois is documented with photos so distant families can see the work was done correctly and respectfully.
Engraving & Add-ons in Illinois covers
A simple, documented process
Share inscription or artwork
Send the text, dates or portrait you'd like added.
We etch on-site or in-shop
Laser or sandblast etching matched to existing lettering.
Review & confirm
You approve the finished engraving with photos.
Inscriptions and medallions on veterans’ graves in Illinois
VA's National Cemetery Administration lists 8 cemeteries in Illinois: 5 open for new burials, 1 open for cremated remains only and 2 with no new gravesites (closed). VA also lists 1 grant-funded state or tribal veterans cemetery in Illinois.
A government medallion may be provided for eligible Veterans who served on or after April 6, 1917 and whose grave is marked with a privately purchased headstone or marker.
Source: U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs
VA does not pay to affix that medallion to a privately purchased headstone in a non-national cemetery; it delivers the medallion to the applicant.
Source: 38 CFR 38.630
A government headstone or marker should not be altered. VA may replace it to change or add inscription details when the next of kin ask within six months of the original being provided.
Source: 38 CFR 38.630
Featured Illinois cemeteries
Inscriptions record service and sacrifice. Here is what VA publishes for Rock Island National Cemetery and Fort Sheridan National Cemetery.
Rock Island National Cemetery
Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor recipients VA lists as interred or memorialized here include Private First Class Edward J. Moskala (World War II); Private First Class Frank Peter Witek (World War II).
History
Rock Island National Cemetery was established within the confines of the U.S. Arsenal located on Rock Island in the Mississippi River near the cities of Davenport, IA, and Moline, IL.
In 1863 an area was set aside to bury Union soldiers who died while serving as guards at the large Confederate prison camp established on Rock Island by the U.S. government.
In 1868, the inspector of national cemeteries reported that the Rock Island cemetery contained 136 remains, including seven unknowns and six women and children.
He described it as rectangle of 216 feet by 96 feet, enclosed with a "paling fence." At the time, the arsenal's commanding officer, General Thomas Rodman, indicated that the location of the burial area would ultimately conflict with his plans for extending arsenal-complex buildings.
Address, phone and hours
Rock Island Arsenal, Building 118 Rock Island, IL 61299
Phone: 309-784-0000
Visitation: Open daily from sunrise to sunset.
Office: Monday thru Friday 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Closed federal holidays except Memorial Day and Veterans Day.
Floral and grounds rules
No objects or items, such as stickers or balloons shall be attached to a grave marker or protrude above the top of the stone or encroach on an adjacent gravesite.
Please do not sit on headstones or markers.
All items placed on gravesites will be removed as soon as they become unsightly or when it becomes necessary to facilitate cemetery operations.
Decoration calendar
Year-Round Decorations: Artificial flowers will be permitted on graves during the period of November 1 through March 31 and will be removed as soon as they become unsightly.
Holiday wreaths and grave blankets are permitted on graves during the holiday season beginning on Thanksgiving.
All holiday items will be removed starting March 1.
Directions from the nearest airport
Cemetery is located on the Rock Island Arsenal.
From Quad-City Airport, take Interstate 74 North to 7th Avenue exit (last Illinois exit.) Turn left on 7th Avenue to 17th Street, then right to 2nd Avenue and left to Arsenal Bridge.
Quoted from the official page for Rock Island National Cemetery (cem.va.gov), checked October 23, 2026. Rules, hours and burial status can change, so confirm with the cemetery before scheduling work.
Fort Sheridan National Cemetery
History
The Fort Sheridan National Cemetery was established in 1889, two years after Fort Sheridan was officially founded.
The cemetery has interred in its grounds Veterans from the Civil War up to more recent conflicts.
Interments also include World War II era German POWs who were held at both Fort Sheridan and nearby Camp Grant.
General information
Fort Sheridan National Cemetery was transferred to NCA by the Department of the Army in December 2019.
Fort Sheridan served as an active Army post from 1887 to 1993.
The cemetery, which was established in 1889, contains 2,354 occupied gravesites.
Burial space
New interments at the cemetery will be limited to in-ground burial of cremated remains.
Casketed burials will be permitted as subsequent interments in existing gravesites for eligible family members.
Directions from the nearest airport
From O'Hare Airport: Take I-90E.
Take exit 44A for Keeler Ave toward Irving Park Rd/IL-19 and turn left.
Merge left onto I-90W/I-94W.
Quoted from the official page for Fort Sheridan National Cemetery (cem.va.gov), checked October 23, 2026. Rules, hours and burial status can change, so confirm with the cemetery before scheduling work.
VA national cemeteries in Illinois
- Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery · ElwoodOpen
- Alton National Cemetery · AltonClosed
- Camp Butler National Cemetery · SpringfieldOpen
- Danville National Cemetery, IL · DanvilleOpen
- Fort Sheridan National Cemetery · Fort SheridanCremation only
- Mound City National Cemetery · Mound CityOpen
- Quincy National Cemetery · QuincyClosed
- Rock Island National Cemetery · Rock IslandOpen
Historic soldiers’ lots and monument sites VA maintains in Illinois: Confederate Mound (Chicago); North Alton Confederate Cemetery (Alton); Rock Island Confederate Cemetery (Rock Island).
State and tribal veterans cemeteries
- Sunset Veterans Cemetery · QuincyOpen
Sources: VA national cemetery list, VA grant-funded cemetery list, VA headstones, markers and medallions and 38 CFR 38.630. Checked October 23, 2026. Burial-space status can change, so confirm with the cemetery before scheduling work.
Serving Illinois from 1 nearby location
Trusted by families and funeral homes across the country
“They handled everything with our mother’s monument — delivery, cemetery coordination, installation and photos afterward. We live in another state, so knowing it was set correctly and respectfully meant the world to us.”
Linda M.
Family, out-of-state
“The deep cleaning and leveling completely transformed the family plot. The before-and-after photos were incredible, and now the stone looks like it did when it was first installed. We’re very grateful for the care they showed.”
Emily R.
Family
“We added dates and a portrait to an existing monument through their engraving team. Everything matched perfectly and was done right at the cemetery. Communication was clear from start to finish.”
James P.
Family
Other monument services in Illinois
Monument Delivery & Freight in Illinois
Local, LTL and white-glove freight for monuments of any size, delivered safely to the cemetery.
Learn moreMonument Installation in Illinois
Flat, bevel, upright and bench installation — foundation preparation, leveling, secure setting and cemetery coordination.
Learn moreMonument Foundations in Illinois
Poured concrete foundations and level bases sized to the cemetery’s specification for a stable, lasting monument.
Learn moreMonument Repair in Illinois
Resetting leaning or sunken markers, re-adhering separated sections and securing damaged or toppled monuments.
Learn moreMonument Restoration in Illinois
Bringing weathered and neglected monuments back to dignity — growth removal, refinishing and inscription revival.
Learn moreDeep Cleaning in Illinois
Safe granite and bronze deep cleaning and biological growth treatment using cemetery-approved methods.
Learn moreCemetery Permit Assistance in Illinois
Permits, cemetery rules, foundation drawings and coordination — handled for you end to end.
Learn moreEngraving & Add-ons in nearby states
See all services in Illinois, learn more about Engraving & Add-ons, or view our national coverage map.
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