WAYNESBORO, Pa. — Green Hill Cemetery in Waynesboro has been awarded Level I Accreditation by The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and The Morton Arboretum.
“Accreditation as an arboretum is important for Green Hill because it bolsters our commitment to maintaining the trees and other flora on the cemetery grounds, things which set Green Hill apart from its competitors,” according to Green Hill Superintendent Todd Dorsett. Green Hill, located at 953 S. Potomac St., was recognized “for achieving professional standards deemed important for arboreta and botanic gardens,” he added.
The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program is the only global initiative that officially recognizes arboreta at various levels of development, capacity and professionalism, Dorsett said. Green Hill Cemetery is also now recognized as an accredited arboretum in The Morton Register of Arboreta, a database of the world’s arboreta and gardens dedicated to woody plants.
Green Hill Cemetery comprises roughly 65 acres of rolling hills, noted Dorsett. “Approximately two-thirds of this acreage is developed into a burying ground containing more than 600 trees representing 77 different species of woody plants. The remainder is farmland,” he added.
“When the cemetery was established in 1873, its location was chosen specifically because of its trees,” Dorsett explained. “The site selected was an oak grove commonly called ‘Shank’s Woods.’ The desire of one man to be buried there gave birth to the community’s largest burying ground. From 1888 to 1934, the superintendent of Green Hill, Ferdinand S. Gilbert, made Green Hill a landscape receiving national attention for its topiary and other unusual features.
“The accreditation as an arboretum is crucial to our survival as modes of disposition of human remains evolve and the demographics of the community change. It also should attract the attention, and hopefully the support, of residents and visitors who may have no interest in Green Hill as a burial ground but do appreciate its natural splendor. Green Hill was Waynesboro’s first park, and it is still a thing of beauty.”
