The Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum (University of Michigan) records comprise 0.7 linear feet of materials spanning the years 2004 to 2013. The records document the various organizational and community service activities undertaken by the newly combined unit, ranging from administration work to special events for the public.
The Matthaei Botanical Gardens were established at the University of Michigan in 1897. At that time, they served as an adjunct of the Department of Botany and the College of Pharmacy, located on the central campus. When this location proved to be inadequate, professors Frederick C. Newcombe and Volney M. Spaulding attempted to obtain a new site. In 1906, Professor Newcombe successfully secured twenty-seven acres of land, located between Geddes Avenue and the Huron River in Ann Arbor, from Dr. and Mrs. Walter H. Nichols. In order to enlarge this property, George P. Burns, later the first director of the gardens, acquired twenty-five acres of adjoining property from the city of Ann Arbor and another thirty acres from the Detroit Edison Company. The new "Botanical Gardens and Arboretum" existed under the jurisdiction of the Department of Botany.
Dissatisfaction with the Geddes area site arose circa 1913, because the land was not flat enough for experimental gardens. The university President Hutchins reorganized the administration of the gardens by creating a "committee of management," who purchased an additional twenty acres of land in 1914, near Packard Road beyond the Ann Arbor city limits. This site later became known as the "Iroquois Site." The Department of Botany and College of Pharmacy utilized this site, while the Departments of Landscape Design and Forestry continued their use of the Geddes site. The latter eventually became the Nichols Arboretum.
In 1919, the Botanical Gardens became an autonomous department in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. Although the Department of Botany was to have no control over gardens policies or budgets, the gardens directorship was to be filled by a faculty member from the department. The "Iroquois Site" remained the location of the Botanical Gardens through the late 1950s until the rapidly developing city of Ann Arbor encroached on the site, and it became an unsuitable location for the gardens. To remedy the situation, in 1957, Mr. and Mrs. Fredrick C. Matthaei gave approximately 250 acres of land near Dixboro, to which the university added an additional 100 acres. The dedication took place on June 14, 1962, and in 1969 the property was renamed the Matthaei Botanical Gardens in honor of the donors. After the move, several important facilities, such as a conservatory, greenhouses and classrooms, were built through three-phased construction from 1959 to 1965. With the increase in facilities and the expanded availability of natural areas, research and teaching opportunities at the Gardens considerably expanded.
As of 2016, the Gardens typically had over 30 research projects conducted each year by University of Michigan and non-University of Michigan researchers. The Gardens provide plant material for U-M courses and is the site for regular classes or field trips for approximately 20 classes from U-M and six other colleges and universities. In addition to research, thousands of visitors come to the Conservatory and grounds each year to participate in adult education courses, volunteer activities, and special events or just to visit the grounds. Two auxiliary organizations that are vital to the success of these programs are the Friends of the Matthaei Botanical Gardens, founded in 1974, and the Docents, who were formally organized in 1982.
The Nichols Arboretum was originally intended to be a garden for the Botany Department, but the land was later found unsuitable for herbaceous plants. In 1916, the Botany Department moved its garden to a site on Packard Road, and the Nichols land was turned over to the Department of Landscape Design for development as an arboretum. As of 2016, the Nichols Arboretum occupied of 123 acres. It includes notable collections of plants native to Michigan, as well as from around the world. The Arboretum also includes an educational facility in the Burnham house, which was moved to the Arboretum grounds in 1998, where it became the James D. Reader, Jr. Urban Environmental Education Center.
In 2003, the U-M associate provost Janet Weiss explored the possibility of combining the Botanical Gardens and the Arboretum. In 2004 the two units were united as a single independent unit of the University of Michigan. In 2007, the Botanical Gardens celebrated its 100 year anniversary.
