About the Veterans Garden
Finding Inspiration in Every Brick
Perhaps the most visible sign of RCVA’s community outreach has been the design, construction, and maintenance of our beautiful and prominent Veterans Garden in front of the River Chase Clubhouse. This meaningful garden not only pays tribute to our nation’s veterans but also is an important teaching tool for our youth.
Our Story
RCVA Veterans Garden began with the organization’s installation and dedication of a flagpole on Memorial Day, 2016 on a piece of vacant and poorly maintained property between the mailboxes and Pool/Clubhouse. RCVA’s next move was to design a garden as a fitting veterans’ tribute that would encompass the entire plot of ground surrounding the flagpole.
For this task, we called on the expert landscape design services of Sam Allen of Shows & Allen Landscape Architects. Sam provided his services pro-bono and he did an extraordinary job! Next came fundraising and POA approval.
The construction was funded entirely through the sale of donated tribute bricks and benches, as well as donated and/or discounted services by several vendors. Most notable among these were John & Shawn Canavan of Canavan and Frank Custom Homes who provided general labor, hauling services, and masonry installation. Additionally, there was cash, gifts-in-kind, and manual labor provided by RCVA members to help make the Garden a reality.
The Garden was dedicated on Memorial Day, 2018 with an appropriate ceremony and a major neighborhood turnout. Without question, the RCVA Veterans Garden has become a significant asset to the River Chase neighborhood. The Garden is frequently visited, especially during holidays when neighbors plan tours with visiting relatives.
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The garden’s centerpiece is a flagpole, surrounded by bronze seals for each branch of service and tribute bricks honoring our nation’s military veterans from the Revolutionary War to the present. Tribute bricks are donated by River Chase residents and other Veterans Garden supporters.
The “Stories Behind the Bricks,” many of which are included in this website, help bring to life the sacrifices made by those who have served in the defense of our great nation. In a setting shaded by a massive live oak tree with a beautiful view of Hill Country, is an area designed for quiet reflection. There are four benches dedicated to honor and memorialize past service members. The Veteran’s Garden contains over 400 tribute bricks that have been donated to acknowledge military service by either a service member or supporter. Each brick is imprinted with a combination of service branches, units, ranks/positions, combat medals, dates-of-life, and/or dates-of-service.
During your visit to our Veterans Garden, we recommend that you consider bringing your children and grandchildren to show proper respect and help them understand the importance of military service.
