ROCKLAND — On the heels of last week’s snowstorm, the Eliza Steele Memorial Garden materialized as JBI Construction completed the initial site work at MacDougal Park. This garden honors Rockland’s legendary nurse and founder of the Rockland District Nursing Association (RDNA), remembering the district nursing story and commitment to a healthy community. 

“The design by Jason White of Plants Unlimited envisions a welcoming, tranquil, public space, incorporating over 60 varieties (500 plantings) of trees, bushes, perennials and annuals, with textures, smells, and colors evolving through the seasons,” said RDNA, in a news release.

For educational purposes, the plant species will be labeled in the garden.  The cornerstone will be a legacy maple in memory of Eliza Steele, RN. Future opportunities for residents to honor friends and loved ones will be available.  

The garden will be overseen and maintained by volunteers, and supported solely through community donations. The Eliza Steele Memorial Garden committee is currently collecting funds, with a celebratory garden opening scheduled for June 2020.

District nursing, once a ubiquitous concept with nurses in most every region in the state, today is simply unfamiliar to many, according to RDNA.  

“Rockland is one of only a handful of communities to still have this asset, a local organization who has proudly served for 90 years,” said the District.

Eliza Steele, RN, led RDNA from 1929 – 1968, building the agency in partnership with the City of Rockland and other civic leaders. These partnerships endure, and RDNA nurses today serve in the tradition of those who laid the foundation.

Garden donations may be sent to RDNA, Eliza Steele Memorial Garden, PO Box 1713, Rockland, ME  04841.  Make checks payable to RDNA, with the memo “Eliza Steele Memorial Garden.”  

RDNA, a 501(c)(3) organization, is the garden fiscal agent.  

For more information, email garden@rocklanddistrictnursing.org.