Frederick Douglass Memorial Park Becomes an Accredited Arboretum
A New Chapter in Stewardship, Education, and Preservation
Frederick Douglass Memorial Park is proud to announce that it has been awarded Level I Accreditation by the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and The Morton Arboretum, officially recognizing the Park as an accredited arboretum.
The designation places Frederick Douglass Memorial Park in the Morton Register of Arboreta, an international database of arboreta and gardens dedicated to woody plants.
Founded in 1935, Frederick Douglass Memorial Park is more than a place of remembrance. Its historic landscape—including its trees and natural environment—is an important part of the Park's identity and heritage. The new arboretum designation provides an opportunity to expand our commitment to caring for that landscape while creating new opportunities for education and community engagement.
The mission of the Frederick Douglass Memorial Park Arboretum is to provide a place of recreation, education, and beauty.
As an arboretum, the Park will continue to:
Preserve and care for the trees currently growing throughout the Park.
Add and care for new tree species, including native and appropriate non-native species.
Promote education about trees, their care, and their importance to our environment.
Create opportunities for visitors and the community to learn about and appreciate the Park's natural landscape.
Celebrate trees through educational programs, events, and other community activities.
Achieving Level I accreditation is an important first step in developing the Park's long-term arboretum program. It provides a framework for continued planning, stewardship, documentation, education, and conservation.
For Frederick Douglass Memorial Park, the arboretum is a natural extension of our broader preservation mission. We are preserving not only the stories and memories held within this historic landscape, but also the landscape itself.
We look forward to growing this program and inviting our community to discover, learn about, and celebrate the trees and natural beauty of Frederick Douglass Memorial Park.