5/7/2012 - Arbor Day Celebration at Evergreen Cemetery
Public invited to learn more about a cherished open space

What: Next Tuesday, the City of Portland Department of Public Services and the Friends of Evergreen will host an Arbor Day Celebration to be followed by the planting of a ceremonial tree in honor of the holiday. The event kicks off Evergreen Cemetery’s new tree memorial donation program through the Portland Tree Trust, EverGreen. The event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

At 239 acres, Evergreen Cemetery is the location of the city’s largest urban forest and is a sanctuary for various wildlife and migratory birds. The cemetery’s origins date back to 1851 when the city purchased fifty-five acres at Steven’s Plain to meet the needs of the community’s rapidly growing population and diminishing available space at the Eastern and Western Cemeteries. Designed by civil engineer Charles Howe, the Victorian garden cemetery was developed as both a sacred place for memorializing the dead and a green space that could be enjoyed by residents. Carriage roadways and walking paths lead to ponds, bridges and various family burial plots often featuring a central monument as focal point. Greeting visitors as they enter the cemetery, the Wilde Memorial Chapel was designed as a mortuary chapel by Mary Ellen Lunt Wilde in honor of her husband Samuel Wilde in 1902. Today the chapel is the location for funerals, weddings, lectures and other community events.

Maps of various points of interest and walking trails are available at the Evergreen Cemetery’s main office and online friendsofevergreen.org.

When: Tuesday, May 15, 2012
5:30 PM

Where: Wilde Memorial Chapel
Evergreen Cemetery, Portland

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