MacDougal Park, Broadway, Rockland
Eliza Steele Memorial Garden
Visit and share in the memories
Consider joining the ranks of the garden volunteers
Dedicated to all who care for our precious community, and who shepherd RDNA
Garden donations may be made ONLINE
or sent to
RDNA, Eliza Steele Memorial Garden
PO Box 1713, Rockland, ME 04841
Please make checks payable to RDNA, with the memo “Eliza Steele Memorial Garden” ~ RDNA is the garden fiscal agent
The Eliza Steele Memorial garden is overseen and maintained by volunteers, and sustained through designated donations. Under lead gardener Susan Lewis Baines, this garden is an approved site to earn Master Gardener Volunteer hours.
For more information, e-mail info@rocklanddistrictnursing.org
District nursing, once a ubiquitous concept with nurses in most every region in the state, today is simply unfamiliar to many. Rockland is one of only a handful of communities to still have this asset, a local organization who has proudly served since 1929. Eliza Steele, RN, led RDNA from 1929 – 1969, 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. On the heels of a 2019 November 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. For educational purposes, the plant species will be labeled in the garden. The cornerstone is a legacy maple in memory of Eliza Steele, RN. Future opportunities for residents to honor friends and loved ones will be available.
