Evergreen Burial Park and Arboretum

Evergreen Burial Park was designed by the renowned landscape architecture firm Hare and Hare of Kansas City in 1916 when the cemetery was on the outskirts of the burgeoning railroad town of Roanoke, Virginia. Today Evergreen Burial Park and Arboretum boasts champions on the Virginia Big Tree registry including the first place Red Horse Chestnut (Aesculus x carnea). The arboretum hosts an annual public tree walking tour in observance of Arbor Day. There are native and non-native species scattered throughout the landscape ranging from oaks to golden rain trees, and from maples to dawn redwoods. There are over 385 trees growing in the arboretum, each with a unique story to tell!

The arboretum has year-round interest with fragrant blooms in the spring and brilliant colors in the fall. Many members of the surrounding communities enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of the park by walking or jogging through the paved paths. A number of notable individuals and their families are buried at Evergreen Burial Park and Arboretum including Virginia Governor J. Lindsay Almond, fifteen Roanoke mayors, several Norfolk and Western presidents including “Racehorse” Smith, and veterans of all wars dating back to the Civil War.