History of the Durfee Conservatory
Historical timeline from 1862 to Present
1862
Land Grant Act signed by President Abraham Lincoln
1864
1864
Purchase of land for college site, including 73 acres that formed the Durfee holdings
1867
Durfee Plant House constructed
1875
Durfee experiment to measure surface pressure of a chili squash received world-wide attention
1878
First sale catalog of plants issued by Durfee
1883
Original Durfee buildings seriously damaged by fire
1890
Durfee received donated Japanese maples from Mount Fuji
1892
Renovations to conservatory complete
1893
One-ton century plant (Agave Americana varigata) blossomed
1934
Part of Harvard plant collection donated to Durfee
1938
Oak tree downed in hurricane; one entire house destroyed, followed by a steady decline and general state of disrepair
1954
New conservatory building constructed
1978
All-American Display Garden designation assigned
1980
Horticultural therapy program instituted
1992
History of Durfee Conservatory published for 125th anniversary
1993
Phase I of Durfee Gardens Project constructed
2006
Durfee Conservatory transferred to UMass Extension
2007
Renovations to upgrade conservatory begun
2013
UMass celebrates 150th year anniversary
2014
UMass Cooperative Extension celebrates 100th year anniversary
2015
Durfee Conservatory joins the CNS Greenhouse Range in the College of Natural Sciences
2017
Durfee Conservatory celebrates 150th anniversary