The Graham City Council has declared our park “surplus property” and will auction it in the coming weeks. The community is coming together to buy it and own a piece of downtown Graham. Make a pledge, share it with your neighbors — and every donation is being matched by a generous donor.
Courthouse Square, Graham, North Carolina
In 1996, the Alamance County Commissioners appointed a Sesquicentennial Advisory Committee to plan the celebration of Alamance County’s 150th birthday. One lasting result of that celebration was the creation of Sesquicentennial Memorial Park on the northwest corner of Courthouse Square in Graham — a beautiful and historic green space that currently still belongs to the people.
If you’ve been following this issue, you know how the Graham City Council has handled it. The Council’s handling of Sesquicentennial Park has been a textbook example of poor leadership and a deeply flawed public process.
Rather than presenting residents with a clear vision and meaningful opportunities for public input and engagement, the Council has repeatedly changed course, offered shifting justifications, and moved forward with major decisions that many citizens believe were made behind closed doors long before the public discussion occurred. What began as concerns over maintenance and infrastructure has evolved into the effective dismantling of a beloved downtown landmark without a transparent explanation of why preserving it in its original location was no longer a priority.
The result has been growing public distrust, with many residents questioning whether decisions were driven by evidence and community input or by predetermined outcomes. Whether one supports relocating the park or not, the Council has failed the public by allowing an erratic and opaque process to replace the openness, consistency, and accountability that Graham’s citizens deserve.
Thankfully, the citizens of Graham and Alamance County have an opportunity in front of them: the City Council has declared the park “surplus property” and will auction it to a bidder of their choosing in the coming weeks.
A group of people have formed The Sesquicentennial Park Citizens Committee, which is in the process of forming a non-profit organization, with a Board of Directors, to design and care for a “new” memorial park. This group will submit a bid to buy the lot during the auction process.
We’d love for you to make a pledge on this site and share it with your family and friends. Someone will follow up with you as this process moves forward.
Every donation is being matched by a generous donor, Sam Powell. Help us buy the park and own a piece of downtown Graham.
Pledged so far
$675
of $100,000 goal
1% of our goal
Every donation is being matched by a generous donor, Sam Powell, so each dollar you pledge helps buy back the park twice as fast. A pledge is a promise to give if the community wins the bid — no money is collected now.
Someone from the Sesquicentennial Park Citizens Committee will follow up with you as the auction process moves forward.
You can go ahead and make a donation now — it will not be cashed unless the bid is won. Write a check payable to Sesquicentennial Park Citizens Committee and drop it off or mail it to one of the locations below.
Every name here is a promise to help buy back the park. Add yours and be part of the story.
Captain E.S. Parker
$100
3 hours ago
“I'm sure Captain E.S. Parker would have supported this initiative. So we will honor his wishes.”
Ron & Elizabeth Osborne
$100
3 days ago
“To keep the good faith of the folks who financially supported the original park and to redress the questionable actions of the Graham City Council which has led to this situation.”
Cheryl Schmidt
$100
19 days ago
“I'm newer to the community, but feel that every downtown needs green spaces. In the few years I've lived here, I have eaten lunch or sat in the part waiting for a friend. Economic development is great, but calm is also important”
Ian Baltutis
$100
20 days ago
“This park represents a celebration of the strength of the community and deserves to be preserved for the public.”
Anonymous
$25
Jul 16, 2026
No Invoice
$50
Jul 16, 2026
“This park was a promise made to the citizens of Graham & Alamance Co as a whole. It should be a promise kept!”
Renee' Russell
$100
Jul 16, 2026
Julie Ann Ellis
$100
Jul 15, 2026
“It was here that my husband and I fell in love. We shared coffees, lunches, walks, and time together in Graham. He always chuckled whenever I would rush to pet the mouse as a fully grown woman. This place is special. It was the first place we went to the night we got in engaged.”