The park straddles the international boundary between the two countries at the extreme western end of the main contiguous section of the two countries' land border, between Blaine, Washington, United States, and Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, where it reaches Semiahmoo Bay of the Salish Sea on the continent's Pacific Coast.

Construction of the 20.5-meter (67 ft) tall arch was headed by American lawyer Sam Hill and dedicated in September 1921.

[7] In 1914 Samuel Hill, lawyer for the Great Northern Railway, organized an international fundraising campaign to build the Peace Arch.

[8] It commemorates the Treaty of Ghent and the Rush-Bagot agreement ending the War of 1812, which "provided for peaceful resolution of U.S.—British disputes and an unguarded U.S./Canadian border."

In 1952, African-American singer and activist Paul Robeson, banned from international travel during the Red Scares, performed several concerts at the site.

[citation needed] The Peace Arch was vandalized with paint and other damage by Canadian protestors demonstrating against the Cambodian campaign during the Vietnam War on May 9, 1970.

[1] On February 9, 2010, the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay visited the north side of the Peace Arch, while Premier Gordon Campbell and Governor Christine Gregoire addressed a crowd of several hundred people.

[19] Unlike other border crossings where weddings were held, Peace Arch allowed both sides to meet in the same location with no separation.

The association hosts park events and activities including the annual International Sculpture Exhibition, which highlights the work of American and Canadian artists.