A place of remembrance and gathering
Tucked into the heart of Enola, Hampden Township Veterans Memorial Park with its Captain Leon Lock Veterans Memorial is a quiet but powerful place of remembrance. Among its most meaningful features are two Liberty Trees, living symbols of the American Revolution and the civic courage that animated it.
During the Revolutionary era, Liberty Trees served as gathering places where colonists shared news, organized resistance, and publicly affirmed their commitment to independence. By planting two Liberty Trees here, the community connects modern military service to the earliest expressions of American self-government. These trees are living witnesses to the idea that freedom takes root when citizens choose participation over silence.
The park also includes a memorial honoring Revolutionary War soldiers, grounding Cumberland County’s modern military story in the sacrifices of local men who served during the War for Independence.
Together, the Liberty Trees and the Revolutionary War memorial remind visitors that American military service did not begin with a standing army, but with neighbors who took responsibility for their community’s future—an idea still worth pausing over today.
Address: 4345 Marketplace Way, Enola, PA 17025
Access notes: Open daily from dawn to dusk. It is dog friendly provided your dog stays on a leash. Parking is available in the adjacent parking lot.
Visiting Tips:
This 17-acre Park includes the following amenities:
A paved walking path with benches throughout the park
Small Pavilion with Restroom and Water Bottle Filler
3 Gazebos
Pair your visit with a bite or coffee nearby at Valley Bistro, a family-friendly restaurant that serves breakfast and lunch all day with creative twists on fresh, classic dishes.
Good to know: The park is easy to combine with other Patriots’ Path sites in the West Shore area, and its open layout makes it a pleasant stop for reflection before or after a meal.
Patriot’s Story: Isaiah Hill’s Militia Company
During the American Revolution, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania played a vital supporting role in the Patriot war effort, supplying men, food, arms, and transportation for the Continental Army. One of the local units raised for this purpose was the militia company commanded by Captain Isaiah Hill, a Cumberland County officer active during the critical middle years of the war.
Hill’s company was recruited from several rural townships in the Cumberland Valley, including areas that today encompass Hampden Township and the Enola region. Like most Pennsylvania militia units, the company was composed primarily of farmers, craftsmen, and laborers. These men balanced military service with the seasonal demands of agricultural life. Militia enlistments were typically short-term, ranging from weeks to a few months, and men could be called out repeatedly as military needs arose.
Isaiah Hill’s company was part of Pennsylvania’s system of “associators” and militia, organized to defend the frontier, protect supply routes, and reinforce the Continental Army during emergencies. In 1777, as British forces advanced toward Philadelphia, Cumberland County militia units were mobilized to support operations tied to the Philadelphia Campaign. These men often served as guards for supply wagons, reinforced Continental positions, and provided a rapid-response force capable of moving quickly within the colony.
While Hill’s company did not fight as a standalone unit in major set-piece battles, its service was essential to the Patriot cause. Militia companies like Hill’s allowed the Continental Army to concentrate its regular troops at the front while local forces secured communities, infrastructure, and lines of communication. Their contribution reflects the reality of the Revolutionary War: independence was won not only by famous generals and battles, but by ordinary citizens who answered repeated calls to serve close to home.
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Credits and Permissions
Images associated with Hampden Township Veterans Memorial Park and Captain Leon Lock Veterans Memorial were courtesy of Hampden Township Veterans’ Recognition Committee.
Some images are courtesy of Cumberland Valley Visitors Bureau.
Content in this section was curated by volunteers from the Army Heritage Center Foundation.