Nebraska City, Nebraska's unique Arbor Lodge State Historical Park is centered
around the beautiful Arbor Lodge mansion, making it one of the only state parks
in the US where a holiday was invented!
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This former home of J. Sterling Morton, founder of Arbor Day now serves as a
museum and event venue, while the grounds provide relaxing opportunities for
walking amidst trees galore, some more than a century old. Here's what
families should know about Nebraska's Arbor Lodge State Historical Park.
Disclosure: park admission is free, but there is usually a cost to tour
inside the lodge, and I received free admission from the Arbor Day
Foundation to facilitate the writing of an article for Living Here Midwest
magazine's Spring 2024 issue about the history of Arbor Day. I was not
required to also write about it for my blog, but this place is awesome, and
I really wanted to share more about it!
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Where is Arbor Lodge State Historical Park?
Arbor Lodge State Historical Park is at 2600 Arbor Avenue in Nebraska City,
NE. There is free parking near the Arbor Lodge Mansion and at other points
in the park. It is also a quick walk from the Arbor Day Farm tree adventure
parking area to the Arbor Lodge.
What is Arbor Lodge State Historical Park?
Arbor Lodge State Historical Park is a state park that consists of the
former land and home of J. Sterling and Caroline Morton. They were some of
the earliest pioneers in the area and were active in local and state
politics while also growing their family and their orchard. Mr. Morton
started Arbor Day in 1872 while serving as part of the Nebraska Board of
Agriculture, and his son Joy donated the land to the state of Nebraska in
1923. Since then, millions of trees have been planted each Arbor Day in
Nebraska and across the globe, and the holiday is still going strong in the
2020s, now celebrated by most people in the US on the last Friday every
April (places where that isn't a good day to plant trees can celebrate
earlier or later!)
I thought the "surrey with the fringe on the top" was especially cute
because of
the song, but had never actually seen such a thing before! My girls were big fans
of the model horse in the stables showing the scale and purpose of the
horse stalls.
Today, the home serves primarily as a museum, with artifacts about the
Mortons, local history, Nebraska state history, and Arbor Day history. For
anyone researching any of these topics, it's a treasure trove, but even
those with a more casual interest will be captivated. There are rooms
filled with fascinating artifacts related to the family and especially to
Mr. Morton and his political influence. One exhibit my kids and I
especially found interesting was the dolls. Much like the first lady dolls
in the Iowa State Capitol, there are dolls showing replicas of Mrs.
Morton's elaborate gowns!
There were also books, documents from presidents, and many photos and
paintings of the Mortons and their lives. While all ages are welcome at
the museum and there are features of the home and museum that are
interesting to younger children, like the basement bowling alley and the
dolls I mentioned, I do think it would probably mainly be interesting to
adults and to teens who like history.
The Arbor Lodge State Historical Park has a small museum shop inside the
Arbor Lodge, in the front entryway, and there was a wide variety of
souvenirs, and nice collection of books related to Arbor Day and the
Mortons. One aspect that might surprise visitors who only know the Mortons
through their connection to Arbor Day is the collection of Morton Salt
artifacts and souvenirs in the shop cases; J. Sterling and Carolyn's son
Joy started Morton Salt!
To find out more about the Arbor Lodge State Historical Park, visit the
Arbor Day Farm website. You can also check out
my posts about the Arbor Day Farm
and
about the Lied Lodge hotel which are both also on the former Morton homestead. I definitely
recommend visiting all three when you get the chance.
The Carriage House at the Arbor Lodge
The Mortons were one of the wealthiest families in the area during the
Gilded Age, and it really shows in their home and outbuildings. No humble
pioneer farm stable here--Arbor Lodge has stunning outbuildings with a
carriage house upstairs and stables downstairs. The Mortons and their
guests clearly travelled--and parked--in style.
Arbor Lodge architecture and decor
The Arbor Lodge originally began as a simple frame house in the
1850s--although at the time it was the only such house between the
Missouri River and the Rockies! That original house was built by Morton
while Caroline was back in Michigan to have their oldest son, Joy, as
they decided there was nowhere suitable for her to give birth in the
tiny frontier town of Nebraska City. The house was later extensively
updated two times, once by J. Sterling and Caroline to a Gothic Revival
style and once in 1905 by Joy and his wife. The home had plumbing in the
late 1870s, and the family started calling it "Arbor Lodge" by around
1875. Joy's renovation in particular updated the home from impressive to
monumental, making it resemble a mini–White House in its architectural
design and columns in particular. With the 1905 additions, the home is
considered "Colonial Revival." Inside, the three building periods are
evident, but it's also clear that the Mortons took great care in making
the overall design flow, and it all feels cohesive.
The decor is truly something to behold, with opulence in every corner.
There are beautiful pieces of furniture and decor from the 19th and
early 20th centuries and in particular excellent examples of the
American Arts and Crafts style as the Mortons kept their home up-to-date
in through the 1910s and early 20s. Nowhere is this more evident than
the stained glass, which includes a custom window in the hallway, and a
breathtaking Tiffany glass ceiling in the sunroom.
Historical artifacts and documents at the Arbor Lodge
Trails and Grounds at Arbor Lodge State Historical Park
Arbor Lodge State Historical Park also includes the outdoor spaces
surrounding the mansion itself. When the Mortons moved to Nebraska in the
1850s, it was considered part of the "Great American Desert" and the plot
of land they bought was completely treeless. But pioneers knew they needed
trees as building materials for their new town, as windbreaks, for fruit,
and because they're beautiful. So, J. Sterling and Caroline set to work
planting trees and shrubs around their home, including an orchard, and a
tree the Mortons brought back from Pike's Peak in a coffee can. They also
added beautiful Italian style terrace gardens including a sundial and
pergola in 1903, and a greenhouse built at the same time that is built in
the same style as the greenhouse of the famous Biltmore Estate in North
Carolina.
The grounds of the park also include several other attractions and
historic sites including statues of J. Sterling Morton and of the Greek
goddess Daphne. There's also a log cabin built in 1890 in the style of
the pioneer cabins from the middle of the 19th century (not to be
confused with the Mayhew cabin with John Brown's cave which is also in
Nebraska City which was part of the Underground Railroad. That cabin is
not in Arbor Lodge State Historical Park.) Amidst these historical
monuments and the beautiful old trees, my family and I had such a
peaceful stroll through the grounds enjoying the views and each other's
company.
Events at the Arbor Lodge
The Arbor Lodge hosts special events including tea parties, holiday
events, guided tours of the grounds, and historical lectures. They also
feature temporary exhibits of interest to their museum guests. The
Arbor Day Farm website calendar
is the best source of info on upcoming events. It also includes events at
the Lied Lodge and Tree Adventure, so be sure to note specific location of
whatever events you are considering!
Arbor Lodge Museum Shop
For more information
For more information on other attractions in Nebraska City like the oldest
courthouse in the state of Nebraska, Kimmel Orchard & Vineyard, the
Civil War Museum at Grand Army of the Republic Hall, or the Nebraska City
Museum of Firefighting, visit the
Otoe County Nebraska tourism website.
You can also feel free to leave a comment here or email me if you have
other questions about the Arbor Lodge State Historical Park and the other
attractions at the Arbor Day Farm. I had so much fun visiting with my
family and would love to chat about it!
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