Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-14
MEMORIAL GROVE
WILL Be PLANTED
AT DOR|C TEMPLE
Large Indigenous Hardwood
Trees to Perpetuate Men,
DRY of War Heroes.
FIRST GROUP OF ELMS
TO BE SET OUT AT ONCE
Donations of Money and Trees
Sought to Beautify Area About
White Marble Monument.

| A memorial grove, to perpetuate the
| memory Of the heroic dead by living
! trees, is to surround the District of
| Columbia World War Memorial in
West Potomac Park.
| Plans for planting this grove with
| hardy, long-lived forest trees, indigen-
Gus to this vicinity. have been launched
| by special committee Of the Commit
tee of the National Capital Of the Gar
| den Club of America
Mai. Gen B. F.. Cheatham, retired,
| former quartermaster general of the
Army, is head of the special commit
| tee for the memorial grove which in
| cludes the following distinguished
women: Mrs. David A. Reed, Mrs. Jesse
| H. Metcslf, Mrs. Robert L. Bacon and
Mrs William R. Castle. The Commit
| tee Of the National Capital of the Gar
den Club of America which sponsors
the project is headed by Mrs. Frank B.
| Noyes.
Fins to Be Planted First.
The first trees to be planted in the
new memorial grove, Gen. Cheatham
| explained, will be a number OF large
elrns and it is hoped TO have them in
| place before dedication Of the memo
rial on Armistice day. These elnls will
| be in an irregular design about the me-
mortal, about 50 feet from the classic
white marble temple They will con-
stitute the first of what is expected to
| be a fine grove of hardwood native
! trees. which will form a much more
| fitting and permanent grove about the
! memorial. than the trees which now
are growing there.
| The project has met the approval
of the District of Columbia World War
Memorial Commission and the Fine
i Arts Commission. 1t has been specifcal-
! ly approved by James L. Greenleaf OF
New York City, distinguished land
scape architect and former member of
the Fine Arts Commission, who has
given the proposal detailed considera-
! ton.
! Gen. Cheatham and his committee
! have sent out invitations to veterans
organizations and patriotic individuals
| to participate III the memorial grove.
In message explaining the project he
says: ITO carry out the memorial idea
| and to complete the setting for this
| classic shrine it is proposed to plant
a grove of forest trees around it, each
tree to be memorial in itself Pro-
curing and moving the proper kind of
tree, approximately II inches in diam
eter and 25 feet high. and placing
thereon a bronze tablet suitably in
! scribed to record the name of the
I donor will cost about 5000.
Will Accept Donations.
veteran organizations and patriotic
! individuals are invited to help make
! this grove a reality. Money donations
may be made to any member of the
committee any any one desiring to pre-
| sent a suitable tree. which is located in
/ Washington or immediate vicinity,
! should communicate with the chairman.
The planting should be done this
I r. =
| obtained. so it is urged that donations
| be sent in as soon as possible"
| The first group of elms, TO be planted
! soon now, will be large trees, about y
or IA inches in diameter, and about 40
| feet high.
A small clearing has been made
about the memorial already. Sod will
be planted in a circle about 80 feet
wide. and the trees will be outside
that AS contributions of new trees
are received. and arrive, more of the
| old trees which are already in the
| grove between the Lincoln Memorial
Rejecting Pool and the Tidal Basin
will be cut down and replaced. 1t is
! the aim of the committee, however, to
! leave the present grove as it is until
| new trees arrive. In other words,
| there will be no destruction of present
| trees until new ones arrive to replace
the old.
Most of the growth in the grove.
| Gen. Cheatham explained, consists Of
willows and various types of swamp
| trees of soft wood. 1t is the purpose
| to leave some of the great willows as
background in the distance, and TO
plant also some large tulip trees some
distance away from the memorial. Then
| in between this outer fringe of the
grove and the elms around the
memorial will be planted other hard
woods, such as oaks, beech and elms.
They will be irregularly placed so as to
avoid the semblance of formal design.
Rather the effect will be to create a
new forest setting for the classic beauty
| of the marble temple.
Memorial Nearly Finished.
The memorial itself now stands forth
in almost complete form. Scaffolding
! has been removed. The stone floor is
almost finished A circular stone walk
! is being built about its base. Its pure
white marble beauty is enhanced by
the dark foliage of the grove of trees,
in which it reposeS in sharp relief, a
| gem of architecture in a sylvan setting.
To the north and to the south will be
| cut vistas through the grove, providing
views in each direction. Walks will be
built from roadways in the Mall, both
north and south along these vistas.
, Everything is expected to be in readi-
ness for the ceremonies of dedication
on Armistice day.
But the memorial grove will continue
to expand and to grow, it is expected,
by further additions of hardy and
sturdy trees, so that the memory Of
the heroic dead may be preserved both
in the marble and in the living trees,
for centuries to come.