The Green Hill Park WWI Memorial Grove was initially planted in 1928 with 278 “Rock” Maples, which is another name for sugar maple. Each tree was planted to represent a solider or nurse from Worcester who died in the war. The trees were planted on a slope starting at the pinnacle of Green Hill Park and standing in perfect rows down to the bottom.
Over the course of the past 91 years many of the original trees died leaving large gaps in the memorial and an effort began in 2016 to replant the grove and create a new memorial as a gate to the grove began with the Green Hill Park Coalition. In the years since New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill’s Worcester Tree Initiative became partners in the replanting effort to restore this important memorial. Over the course of three years we have been planting trees to fill the spaces left by the trees which died, and on Friday, May 3, we took to the hill once more to finish the job.
Twenty-two trees were planted by 39 volunteers from New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill’s Worcester Tree Initiative, Green Hill Park Coalition, Ten24 Digital Solutions, and the Worcester Technical High School. We are so grateful to the whole crew who made this last big planting effort a success and to the Nathaniel Wheeler Trust Foundation for funding this important and impactful tree project in Worcester!
This chapter of the memorial grove project is ending, but the next chapters will be even greater. The effort given by hundreds of people to plant the trees is a long-term investment which will result in the development of a grand and living memorial. The character of the grove will develop over the next 10, 50, 100 years, and beyond. We look forward to tending to and watching these trees as they grow to fulfill the vision of the original planters nearly 100 years ago.