Memorial Tree and Bench Program

People and events often deserve special recognition.

The City of Hagerstown Department of Parks & Engineering invites you to memorialize a special person or life event with a tree or bench located in one of the City’s beautiful parks.
Donation Form
 Download application,
click here

Examples of special life events include:

  • Birth of a Child
  • Death of a Relative or Friend
  • Weddings
  • Anniversaries
  • Strong & Lasting Relationships
  • Birthdays
  • Graduations
  • New Jobs or Retirements
  • Baptisms
  • Bar Mitzvahs and Bat Mitzvahs

How It Works:

  1. Complete and return the application to the City of Hagerstown Department of Parks & Engineering, 1 East Franklin Street, Hagerstown, MD 21740.
  2. After your application is received, you will be contacted to finalize the memorial location and details.
  3. Installation is scheduled and the tree/bench is ordered. (Payment is required prior to scheduling of installation.)
  4. A letter of acknowledgement is sent to the donor and the plaque/tag wording is finalized.
  5. The tree or bench is installed.
All donations are tax deductible.

Memorial Tree Donations

With a donation of $500, the City will supply and plant a 6’ conifer or 2’ caliper deciduous TREE in honor or in memory of a special person or life event.

  • In lieu of a plaque (due to cost and maintenance issues), the City will: 1) place an engraved tag around the tree. (Eventually, as the tree matures, the tag falls off. If this occurs within the first three years, it will be replaced by the City.); 2) send a letter to the donor indicating the tree has been planted; 3) list the donation on the Parks and Recreation webpage under Tree Memorials; and, 4) read the donor names and those being honored from the previous 12 months at the City’s annual Arbor Day ceremony.
  • A tree tag, engraved with a City approved donor statement (up to four lines with twenty characters per line), will be provided and installed.
  • Donors are welcome to suggest locations in a park, however, the City will make the final determination on the specific location.
Tree Marker
A tree donation lasts the lifetime of the tree. If the tree dies within the first three years, it will be replaced by the City.
Planting will be done in the spring or fall. Decorating or adorning memorial trees is not permitted. Donations of less than $300 will be accepted and used to offset the cost of regularly scheduled plantings.

Memorial Bench Donations


With a donation of $1,500, the City will provide and install an engraved BENCH in honor or in memory of a special person or event.

  • A 6’ powder coated metal bench with back in either green or black will be provided.
  • A plaque, engraved with a City approved donor statement (up to four lines with twenty characters per line), will be provided and installed.
  • Donors are welcome to suggest locations in a park, however, the City will make the final determination on the specific location. If a memorial bench is vandalized or damaged, the City will make every effort to repair it within the limits of available funds. If it cannot be repaired or replaced, and is a hazard or unsightly, City staff may remove the bench. Any plaque or bench installed without City approval may be removed at the expense of the installer. The City reserves the right to relocate benches for safety and/or any other reason. In the event this occurs, the donor will be notified of the new location.
If a memorial bench is vandalized or damaged, the City will make every effort to repair it within the limits of available funds. If it cannot be repaired or replaced, and is a hazard or unsightly, City staff may remove the bench. Any plaque or bench installed without City approval may be removed at the expense of the installer. The City reserves the right to relocate benches for safety and/or any other reason. In the event this occurs, the donor will be notified of the new location.
Fairgrounds Bench
Pangborn Bench
Tree Donors  
LocationsDonorsIn Memory of:
City Park (near 911 memorial)
Jeff Bashore
Cooper Wayne Stine
Kiwanis Park (near pavilion)
Karen Childers
Steve Bittner
City Park (near concession stand)
Tina Hutcheson
Rushon Lionel Louie
City Park (by the lake)Donald Viar Mary Jane Viar
Bloom Park Halema AslamMuhammad Aslam  
City Park (near south playground)   City of Hagerstown
Dan Poffenberger       		Roger Reed
City Park (behind Fine Arts Museum)Antietam Garden Club    
Antietam Garden Club
City Park (by the lake)Antietam Garden ClubMickey Slasman
Mills ParkMarty Price Jay Wilson
Bench Donors    
Location: Donors: In Memory of:
City Park (near island pavilion) Fanny Lee Seville Jack J. Seville, Jr.
Kiwanis Park (near octagon pavilion) William Jr., Dian, & Patricia Breichner William Breichner 
City Park (near concession stand) Cynthia Howard  Catherine & Evans Crabtree, Sr.
City Park Renee Kesner In Memory of Dorothy Lillard
City Park Terry Roane Honor of Thomas A Roane, Sr
Greens at Hamilton Run Timothy Lewis In Memory of Chris Henry
Pangborn Park San Mar
Washington County Dept. of Social Services
 In Loving Memory of
Heidi A. Pierce
Fairgrounds Dog Park Margaret Thomas In Memory of Huggie Bear and Lucy
City Park Lynne Hershey In Memory of Anna & Jack Hershey
City Park Todd Smith In Memory of Reverend Thomas Clyde Smith
Cultural Trail Lions Club Hagerstown Lion’s Club
Pangborn Park Sally T Skislak In Memory of John David Skislak
City Park Catherine Skaggs In Memory of SKAGGS
Skatepark City of Hagerstown In Memory of Lucas Merlin Boyer
Pangborn Park Mendelson Family Carol & Howard Mendelson
Wheaton Park Wheaton Park Neighborhoods 1st

 In Memory of Helen Bowers