The Ratrie Arboretum is on a ridge overlooking the state Capitol and the Kanawha River. The City of Charleston first acquired 20 acres of land in 1869 for Spring Hill Cemetery. Subsequent purchases brought the size to 168 acres, the land is designated also as a City Park. Some of the 1,400 trees in our Arboretum inventory date from the early acquisition period.

Friends of Spring Hill Cemetery Park and Arboretum is a 501(c)3 organization founded in 2001. It works with the City of Charleston to promote the park, preserve and restore markers and structures, beautify with plantings and conduct tours and educational programs. Recent successes have included the installation of two sculptures in 2023, a fountain by Robert Cronbach which was formerly located at the Main Kanawha County Library before its renovation, and a donated eight foot sunflower sculpture by Lloyd Enoch.

The Ratrie Arboretum is the culmination of a 30-year quest by the late Mary Price Ratrie, a founding member of the Friends of Spring Hill Cemetery Park, for a living museum of trees for southern West Virginia. The City of Charleston owns the property and graciously provides labor and equipment to care for the trees and plants in the Arboretum.

Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin, Spring Hill Cemetery Superintendent Larry Ford, members of the Ratrie family and the Friends of Spring Hill Cemetery Park & Arboretum, officially opened the Mary Price Ratrie Arboretum on October 14, 2021.

"The Mary Price Ratrie Arboretum will provide educational opportunities for our students and be another beautiful outdoor experience for visitors and those who live in our Capitol City," said Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin. "Thank you to the Ratrie family and the Friends of Spring Hill Cemetery Park & Arboretum for your dedication to this project."

The Arboretum is a certified Level 2 location with ArbNet.