Thirty-two trees were planted at the new Middle Peninsula State Park site at Clay Bank on Saturday afternoon to honor the 32 years that Harvey Morgan served in the Virginia House of Delegates.

Morgan and his wife, Mary Helen, were among about 50 people who turned out to plant the trees which are to be known as the Harvey Morgan Arboretum. A Gloucester native, Morgan was first elected to the General Assembly in 1979; he retired at the end of the 2011 session.

Tim Shrader, park superintendent for Belle Isle State Park in Lancaster County and manager of the Gloucester site in development, said that he appreciates the willingness of so many people to come on a pleasant Saturday afternoon to honor Morgan by planting trees that will beautify the park in the years to come.

The new park, Shrader said, will encompass approximately 430 acres with an expanse overlooking the York River. The trees, all native species, will help prevent soil erosion, he said, noting that the timeframe for wh...