The Archives serves the Arboretum education, development, horticulture, and marketing staff, and is also open to qualified researchers by appointment. It is staffed by an archivist and a team of dedicated volunteers.
The Morris Arboretum Archives was established in 1987 to acquire, conserve, and catalog one-of-a-kind documents, letters, maps, architectural blueprints, landscape drawings, financial ledgers, diaries, lantern slides, photos, and negatives. Historic books, newspapers, research material, reports, and artifacts are also cataloged at the Arboretum. The archives collection includes roughly 100 cubic feet of paper archives and manuscripts, 12,000 images, including photographs, drawings, prints, lantern slides and other visual materials and 10 cubic feet of memorabilia and other objects.
After 1932, the botanic gardens owned by Penn became known as the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania. Since 1932, architectural blueprints, landscape drawings, lantern slides, negatives and photographs by the botanists and visitors at the gardens are housed here. Numerous papers about that period and about the staff, the plants, and the garden features are also in the Archives.
Hours are by appointment. To arrange a visit, email leslm@upenn.edu.
Donate to the Archives
We are looking for objects and photos from the garden in the years before 1985. To donate to the Archives, arrange a visit, or email Leslie Morris-Smith at leslm@upenn.edu.
The Morris Family of Philadelphia, Descendants of Anthony Morris, by Robert C. Moon, MD, Five volumes, 1898. Learn more »
A geneaology of the ancestors and cousins of John Thompson Morris and Lydia Thompson Morris may be found online. Learn More »
Finding aids for five of our collections are found on the Philadelphia Area Special Collections and Libraries (PACSCL) website as a result of a grant to the Hidden Collections Initiative/Small project at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania from the Mellon Foundation.. Learn More »
The John T. Morris Travel Albums 1881-1906 are at the Hagley Library and Archives. Learn More »
Historical Society of Pennsylvania has a finding aid for early Morris Family Papers, coll. 2000B. Learn More »
Thompson Family Papers at Haverford Quaker Special Collections. Learn More »
.Chestnut Hill Conservancy Photo Archives
Lower Merion Historical Society
Springfield Township Historical Society Archives
The Arboretum is open as usual. Click here for hours.
Please note: The Rose Garden is closed for maintenance every Thursday morning until noon.
Weather conditions may limit garden access to certain features even if the garden is open – please check the web site or call (215) 247-5777 for updates before visiting. Our visitors’ safety in the garden is our top priority. Therefore when inclement weather is predicted, we will make decisions about closing the garden accordingly.
