National Register of Historic Places

Tyler, John J., Arboretum

Lima, Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Listed
February 27, 2003
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
03000080

About this property

Tyler Arboretum is a nonprofit arboretum located at 515 Painter Road, Middletown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The arboretum is open daily except for major holidays and an admission fee is charged to non-members. The property's history began in 1681, when William Penn signed a "lease and release" agreement with Thomas Minshall, an English Quaker, for property in Pennsylvania that contained the site now occupied by the arboretum. Between 1681 and 1944, the property was home to eight generations of the same family. The arboretum itself started in 1825 when two brothers, Jacob and Minshall Painter, set aside land to systematically plant more than 1,000 varieties of trees and shrubs. In 1944, descendant Laura Tyler bequeathed the property, in memorial to her husband John J. Tyler, to be a nonprofit arboretum.The location was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. Today, Tyler Arboretum attracts 70,000 visitors a year to its 650-acre campus and boasts 17 miles of pathways and hiking trails. The original Painter Trees: 1. Lebanon Cedar (Cedrus libani), a Pennsylvania state champion; 2. Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba); 3. Yulan Magnolia (Magnolia denudata), a Pennsylvania state champion; 4. Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum); 5. Red Maple (Acer rubrum) 6. Osage-orange (Maclura pomifera), blown down by a hurricane in 1954, just the rot-resistant trunk remains; 7. Cucumbertree Magnolia (Magnolia acuminata); 8. Baldcypress (Taxodium distichum); 9. Leatherleaf Mahonia (Mahonia bealei); 10. Tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera); 11. Yellow Buckeye (Aesculus flava); 12. River Birches - 2 (Betula nigra); 13. Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum), the largest giant sequoia in Pennsylvania and possibly in the eastern United States; 14. White Oaks -2 (Quercus alba); 15. Swamp White Oak (Quercus bicolor); 16. Sweetgums - 2 (Liquidambar styraciflua); 17. Corsican Pine (Pinus nigra spp. laricio); 18. Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum); 19. American Linden (Tilia americana); 20. Common Pear (Pyrus communis); and 21. Oriental Spruce (Picea orientalis), a Pennsylvania state champion. Ornamentals: collections of flowering cherry (begun in 1951 with 45 plants representing 23 species and varieties); magnolia (begun 1951); crabapple (1951–1953); rhododendron (begun 1959 with more than 500 rhododendrons and 200 azaleas); holly; and lilac. Pinetum (34 ha / 85 acres, begun in 1954), containing pines, spruces, hemlocks, firs, cedars, cypresses and larches. Meadow Maze, a recent four-ring labyrinth of meadow grasses based on a classical seven-ringed design. Pink Hill, a serpentine barren of serpentine stone with wildflowers.

Location

515 Painter Rd.
Lima, Delaware County, Pennsylvania
39.93726, -75.42932

Categories

CONSERVATIONARCHITECTURESCIENCE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Ridley Creek State Park
Listed
1.8 mi
Old Rose Tree Tavern
Early Republic
2 mi
Risley, Dr. Samuel D., House
Industrial
2.5 mi
Media Armory
Industrial
2.5 mi
Idlewild
Industrial
2.7 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Paoli (Paoli Massacre)
1777Revolutionary War
5 mi
Battle of Iron Works Hill (Brandywine follow-up)
1777Revolutionary War
5.7 mi
Battle of Paoli Massacre (1777)
1777Revolutionary War
6.5 mi
Battle of Paoli Massacre
1777Revolutionary War
7.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Tyler, John J., Arboretum listed on the National Register?

Tyler, John J., Arboretum was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 27, 2003.

What type of historic resource is Tyler, John J., Arboretum?

Tyler, John J., Arboretum is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Tyler, John J., Arboretum?

The period of significance for Tyler, John J., Arboretum is recorded as the listed era.

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