Archival Collections
The archives are the repository for personal papers and institutional records that document the Arboretum's historical influence on botany and horticulture. These collections are inventoried in finding aids that are accessible onsite; some can also be accessed online in OASIS, Harvard's online searchable database.
CLICK HERE for the online exhibit, "Personalities Associated with the Early History of the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University 1872-1927." Adobe Acrobat Reader required to view file.
Personal Papers
These document the research of Arboretum staff members, beginning with those of the Arboretum's founder Charles Sprague Sargent and including those of all subsequent directors. Also included are the field notes, travel records, diaries, and journals of plant hunters such as Ernest H. Wilson and Joseph Rock.
Institutional Records
Documents not specifically related to research projects, such as those generated by administrative offices and committees are also kept in the archives. Examples include directors' annual reports, departmental annual reports, personnel records, minutes, long-range plans, mission statements, contracts, course descriptions, development publications, plant distribution records, plant propagation records, plant lists, maps, weather data, and in-house publications.
Correspondence
The Correspondence
Database, a work in progress, is a searchable database. Currently the
index includes correspondence from the 1880s to 1940. It lists correspondents
only; subjects are not indexed.
These letters were either written or received by staff members and concern plant accessions, exploration, identification, and taxonomy; there are also many requests for plants.
Repository Archives
Records of the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts, 1929-1995, and of the Horticultural Club of Boston, 1911-present, are kept in the Arboretum's archives.