Secrest Arboretum
Type | Agriculture Research and Development |
---|---|
Industry | Agriculture; Educational Services; Professional & Technical |
Fate | Active |
Founded | 1908 |
Headquarters | Wooster, Ohio, United States |
Number of locations | 1680 Madison Ave, Wooster, Ohio |
Key people | |
Website | https://secrest.osu.edu/ |
Comprehensive History
The Wooster Arboretum was established in 1908 by Edmund Secrest on a 75-acre area at the Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station. A few plantings of hardwood species were made as early as 1901, but the development of the Arboretum and a more planned planting of the acreage began in earnest in 1908. The arboretum has historically integrated forestry and horticulture in such a way as to permit studies in plantation management, wood utilization, forest genetics, and the testing of ornamentals[1]. The Arboretum was dedicated as the Secrest Arboretum in 1950 in memory of Secrest, known as the "father of forestry" in Ohio.
By 1978, the Arboretum had grown to approximately 85 acres with over 2000 species, varieties, or cultivars of trees and shrubs, with the oldest remaining trees - yellow poplar, northern catalpa, and European larch - dating from 1903[2]. Among the notable plantings in the collection are:
More than 140 varieties of flowering crabapples, affectionately known as "Crablandia"
A grove of dawn redwood, once thought to be extinct, planted in 1953
A collection of arborvitae varieties
The Rhododendron Display Garden, started in 1966, was a cooperative venture with the American Rhododendron Society (Great Lakes Chapter) featuring "at least four plants each of 165 different species, varieties, or hybrids of rhododendrons and azaleas growing in the garden, plus 150 Rosebay rhododendrons planted in the Secrest Arboretum in 1917"[3]. While the garden was damaged in the 2010 tornado, many of these magnificent bushes still grace the arboretum.
In 1970, the Garden of Roses of Legend and Romance was established at the Arboretum near the Barnhart Rice House, Wooster, Ohio. Mrs. Samuel Forbes of Cleveland donated the funding for its creation, and the roses were a gift of Mr. Joseph Kern, a well-known rose nurseryman[4]. The 2.7-acre garden reached a peak of about 1500 rose bushes representing 500 varieties, some of which were rare when the garden began[5]. The rose garden declined throughout the 2010s due to an incurable disease called rose rosette, and in 2019-2020, all of the roses were removed and the space cleared for an experimental space, starting with trial plantings of coneflower varieties, hydrangeas, and native honeysuckles[6].
In September 2010, an EF-2 tornado with winds reaching 135 mph swept through the OARDC campus and wreaked damage across one-fourth of the Arboretum. Approximately $400,000 in private donations helped the Arboretum replace plantings and renovate areas of the gardens hardest hit by the storm, and researchers have taken the opportunity to study how nature rebounds after dramatic weather damage. Another storm in November 2017 brought additional but less extensive damage to the gardens as well as to the Barnhart Rice House.
In 2019, the former Research Operations building was renovated and reopened as the Secrest Arboretum Welcome and Education Center, hosting exhibits as well as educational events for visitors. The Arboretum currently covers 115 acres.
Slogans
Historical documents
Timeline
- 1908: Wooster Arboretum established on acreage at the Experiment Station
- 1950: Arboretum renamed Secrest Arboretum
- 1970: Garden of Roses of Legend and Romance established
- 2019-2020: Garden of Roses of Legend and Romance discontinued
- 2020: Secrest Arboretum Welcome Center opened
Gallery
Newspaper articles
Newspaper full-text articles
References
- ↑ "Tribute to a Man and Trees," Wayne County Topics, October 1954, p.6
- ↑ John E. Ford, Finding List and Guide to the Secrest Arboretum, p.1.
- ↑ A Photo Tour, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, p.[6].
- ↑ Robert E. Whitmoyer, The View From the Tower, p.39.
- ↑ Melissa Green, "Roses are for show at research center," Akron Beacon Journal, 24 July 1994
- ↑ Linda Hall, "Secrest Arboretum replacing its acclaimed rose garden," Akron Beacon Journal, March 18 2019
What Links Here
- Individuals with Veil Surname
- Individuals with Snyder Surname
- Individuals with Shultzman Surname
- 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster, Ohio
- Agriculture businesses in Wooster, Ohio
- Agriculture businesses in Wooster, Ohio (active)
- Agriculture Research and Development
- Agriculture Research and Development (active)
- Agriculture Research and Development in Wooster, Ohio
- Agriculture Research and Development in Wooster, Ohio (active)
- Businesses established in YEAR
- Businesses in Wooster, Ohio
- Businesses in the Agriculture industry
- Businesses in the Educational Services industry
- Businesses in the Professional & Technical industry
- Professional & Technical businesses in Wooster, Ohio
- Professional & Technical businesses in Wooster, Ohio (active)
- OAES
- OARDC
- Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station
- Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center
- Educational Services businesses in Wooster, Ohio