Origin of the Garden
An idea by one person, former Marine and Master Gardener, the late Ben Kinel, led to the transition of a piece of property which was grown up with weeds into a beautiful Memorial Garden honoring our Veterans. Through six years of perseverance and a lot of hard work, this weed patch was transformed by many volunteer workers into a real show place on a location most folks call the
“Gateway to Branson”.
The Branson Veterans Memorial Garden was founded in 2008 when Kinel secured a long term lease from the owners of the property at Silver Dollar City. He then set about contacting local businesses and individuals, asking for contributions of money and materials to make the garden a reality.
Thanks to the generosity of a number of Branson residents who thought his idea had merit, he was off and running. Landscaping was the first order of business. Being on a hillside, the site had to be terraced to hold the planting beds. Next, truck loads of rocks were hauled in and earth moving machines strained to move huge rocks into place and dig holes for some pretty large trees that were donated. Then came the top soil to back-fill the planting beds behind the rock retaining walls. Finally, huge amounts of fertilizer and compost were added to the beds. Then the perennial plants and shrubs were strategically placed and last came the bedding plants to add color. Later, a watering system was installed to keep everything alive and growing.
And Remember, Freedom Doesn't Come Free!
