The site that became Montoursville Memorial Gardens has long been central to the community. John Rockafellow donated the land as a cemetery, and the first burial occurred as early as 1811. In 1816, an octagonal stone school stood on the back central portion of the plot and served not only as a school but also as a church building and a hospital during a smallpox outbreak. In 1838, German Lutherans and Presbyterians joined to build the Union Church east of the cemetery plot, and the church and adjoining cemetery grounds became the center of community life and the final resting place for many of the town's Civil War casualties. Over time, the octagonal building fell into disrepair, a new Lutheran church was built elsewhere, and when Broad Street was widened, the graves were moved to Edgewood Cemetery. During the 1950 Montoursville Centennial, a millstone bearing Otstonwakin, the Indian name for the town, was placed on the property as a bridge to the community's roots. After the Flight 800 tragedy, a movement arose to establish a permanent memorial for community members, and the Montoursville Area School District and Montoursville Borough agreed to joint ownership of the site. Montoursville Memorial Gardens was dedicated on July 17, 1999, in memory of all the deceased members of the community.