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  4. The Durfee Conservatory

History of the Durfee Conservatory

Historical timeline from 1862 to Present

Image
First Massachusetts College of Agriculture class

 

1862

Land Grant Act signed by President Abraham Lincoln

1864

Original 383 acres in Amherst, Massachusetts, purchased for site of Massachusetts Agricultural College

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

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Durfee Conservatory
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The Roots of UMass Amherst
Construction of the Durfee Plant House
The Durfee Squash
Winter Fire in the Durfee
Japanese Maples from Mt. Fuji
The Century of the Durfee
Part of Harvard Collection Donated to Durfee
The Renovation of the Durfee
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