Home

Blog

a black-and-white photo of woman from the early 20th century walking along a rock wall in bloom with flowers.

#90YearsofMorris: Opening Day, 1933

Ninety years ago today, the gates of the Morris, the estate formerly known as Compton, swung open to the public for the first time. That week in June 1933, eighteen months after Lydia Morris's death, marked the transition from private estate to public garden amidst great fanfare and publicity. The Philadelphia Bulletin reported that 10,000 visitors enjoyed the Morris on that first day. The Philadelphia Record heralded the news with a large photo and the front-page headline, "Morris Arboretum Goes to Posterity."

A black and white image of two men in 1933 holding a large key.
Maurice Bower Saul, '05L .,'07C. (right), a Trustee of the University of Pennsylvania as well as Lydia’s secretary and first Morris board member and chair, handing over the key to Compton to University President Thomas S. Gates (left), during the dedication ceremony in 1933.
A man and a woman hold a large, historic key in a rose garden gala.
Morris Executive Director Bill Cullina (left) with University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill (right) at this weekend's Moonlight & Roses gala, holding the key that was originally used in the 1933 dedication ceremony.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Though very private up until the opening, the estate was already widely known throughout Philadelphia and the eastern US, and was considered second only to Harvard's Arnold Arboretum for its fine collection of trees and shrubs. The Philadelphia Ledger reported, "The Arboretum's gardens are said to rival the Arnold Gardens in Boston, the Kew Gardens of London or the Jardin d'Acclimation of Paris," and The New York Times described the opening as "An El Dorado of horticultural treasure."

Once the Morris became part of the University of Pennsylvania, the focus shifted from that of an aesthetic landscape garden to more of a research and collections-based Arboretum. At the time, plants in the gardens were arranged according to classification, and were often planted together more for the purpose of evaluation than for their integration into the landscape.

A yellow membership card to the Morris Arboretum from 1935.
A 1935 list of rules of the Morris Arboretum.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Rodney H. True was selected as the first director, and specialists in plant diseases, ecology, and physiology were hired. Dr. John M. Fogg, who later became director, was hired as taxonomist. Cataloging the species of plants became a priority for the staff. Another top priority was providing public access to the Morris, and in 1935 the Morris began offering memberships to the public. 

 

A black and white photograph of a bald man with glasses.
Dr. H. Rodney True, Chairman of the Department of Botany at the University of Pennsylvania and Director of the Morris, in late 1932.
A man standing on a porch overlooking trees.
Dr. John M. Fogg on the Gates Hall porch, 1957.
Read more about the opening weekend festivities in this Pennsylvania Gazette article from 1933.