The Ratrie Arboretum is located 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 total size to 168 acres, and the land is also designated 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 the grounds with plantings, and conduct tours and educational programs.

Recent successes include the installation of two sculptures in 2023: a fountain by Robert Cronbach, 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, to create 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 Dr. Rick Franke, President of 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 capital 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.”

Honoring Two Formidable Women

Mary Price (Dickinson) Ratrie (1914–2010)

Mary Price Ratrie left an indelible mark on the Kanawha Valley, much like the generations of her family before her. The arboretum is named in her honor to commemorate her contributions.

Born in Malden, Mary Price was the granddaughter of John Quincy Dickinson. The Dickinson family significantly shaped Charleston and the Kanawha Valley through their ventures in salt manufacturing, coal mining, banking, and philanthropy.

Mary Price lived in Florida but returned to the valley after her mother’s passing to engage more deeply in the family’s enterprises.

Following the death of her husband, Turner Rust Ratrie, and later her son, who managed the family business, she seamlessly stepped into the role of business and community leader.

A passionate gardener and advocate for education, the arts, and the beautification of Charleston, Mary Price established the TerraSalis Garden Center on the family farm in Malden and founded the commercial landscaping company Terracare.

After TerraSalis closed, it became a wedding venue and eventually returned to its roots with the formation of the J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works Company.

Known for her humor and generosity, Mrs. Ratrie swam daily well into her later years and sometimes even canoed from Malden to St. John’s Episcopal Church in Charleston.

She cultivated a stunning rose garden at her home and was known, on occasion, to discreetly take a cutting from a plant she especially admired.

In her honor, a native Cornus florida (Dogwood) is planted in the Old Circle opposite the Donnally graves.

Allen Carter Rohdeler Giltinan (1930–2020)

Many of Spring Hill’s roads are named after those who lost their lives in service, but Carter Lane, a verdant path winding between Historic Sections 30 and 31, is an exception.

It is named after Carter Giltinan, a founding member of the Friends of Spring Hill and former City Beautification Director.

An enthusiastic gardener, Carter was a member of the Kanawha Garden Club and managed the former TerraSalis Garden Center in Malden.

Her legacy endures on the Carriage Trail, marked by a monument from her own garden, and a garden space at Kanawha United Presbyterian Church also bears her name.

Along the lane and in this area are several Aesculus (Buckeye) cultivars.

Carter is laid to rest in the Smith plot in Historic Section 30.