click here for: List of Donors
How far along are we to purchasing the plaques? 
The Town Assembly has voted to have the Civic Committee place markers on Arden Green to locate and acknowledge the Walt Whitman and Soldiers’ Memorials. The Archives Committee consulted on the plaques before the Civic Committee made the final determination.
Please consider donating to the memorial restoration — even small contributions bring us closer to installing the plaques. Every gift matters, and we are grateful for your support.
Click on the name below to see the plaque.
Walt Whitman Memorial
Soldiers’ Memorial
How to donate:
Send a check made out to: Village of Arden
In the memo line: Arden Green Memorials
We would be honored to publicly acknowledge your generosity. Simply add /yes or /no to your memo line to let us know your preference.
Example memo line where you would be publicly acknowledged: Arden Green Memorials/yes
Example memo line where your donation would be listed as “anonymous”: Arden Green Memorials/no
Send the check to:
Village of Arden
2119 The Highway
Arden, DE 19810-4058
OR drop the envelope into the Village mailbox across from the “The Buzz”.
Can I take the donation off of my taxes.
The Village is a municipality. Talk to your Tax Advisor.
What happens if the money needed is not raised?
The money will be returned to the person that donated. The Village will keep a list of donations.
Where will the Village keep the money?
A special fund will be created to store the donations separate from the regular Village finances.
What happens if too much money is donated?
The money will be kept and used for the ongoing maintenance of the memorials.
Estimated cost of the project
Bronze plaques: $2,320.00, 6-8 weeks to manufacture.
Placement of mounting stones: approximately $600.00, based on the availability, size and location of Arden stones.
Mounting the plaques on the stones: after the plaques and stones are selected, bids will be sought.
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions
About the Walt Whitman Memorial text:
The Arden Branch of the Walt Whitman Fellowship found the poem “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d” important enough to plant lilacs and cedars as a permanent memorial to Walt Whitman. There’s a story that a few Arden residents had met Whitman. The poem, was Whitman’s expression of sorrow upon hearing of President Lincoln’s assassination. When the memorial was dedicated in 1914, undoubtedly, there were Arden residents that were alive when Lincoln was assassinated forty-nine years earlier.
About the Soldier’s Memorial text:
How were the five names selected?
The village had considered erecting a bronze plaque bearing over 90 names, but that never came to pass. Lists can be found in this link for pages of the December 8th, 1945 The Town Crier.
Details about the military service of the five men that died for their country.
Arden’s Soldiers Memorial Men
1949 map detail locating the original Soldiers’ Memorial where there used to be a yardarm style flagpole, flower garden and cedar trees. Currently in the Buzz Ware Village Center hallway, there is a 1951 version map on the wall, showing the same location information.