History

Isaac W. Bernheim established Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest in 1929.   I. W. Bernheim (1848-1945) was a German immigrant who settled in Kentucky.   From a humble beginning as a peddler, he became successful in the whiskey distilling business where he established the I.W. Harper brand. Grateful for his good fortune, he gave Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest to the people of Kentucky as a gift.

Timeline

1928 Isaac W. Bernheim purchases 14,000 acres of heavily logged and worn out farm land in Bullitt and Nelson Counties, Kentucky.
1929 Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest is established on May 10.
1931 The Frederick Law Olmsted landscape design firm of Brookline, Massachusetts begins work on a major site plan for the landscape arboretum. 
1935  The original landscape design created by the Olmsted firm is adopted.
1939 The Cedar Lakes and Mac's Lake are created.
1945 Isaac Wolfe Bernheim dies in California at the age of 96.
1949 Lake Nevin is impounded and named in honor of Mr. Hugh L. Nevin, former President of the Board of Trustees.
1950 Bernheim Forest opens to the public in July. 
1952 The ginkgo trees in the Big Meadow are first planted.
1954 The beech section in the Big Meadow is first planted.
1955 The nut tree section is started in the arboretum.
1955 The Olmsted firm creates the original design for the tablet area.
1956 Mr. and Mrs. Bernheim's graves and the monument "Let There Be Light" are moved from Cave Hill cemetery in Louisville to a memorial site in the Arboretum designed by the Olmsted firm.
1960 The Sun and Shade Trail is established to grow plants requiring varying amounts of sun and shade.
1961 The Nature Museum is built, offering school children and visitors programs about birds, wildflowers, history, horticulture and nature.
1963 The Arboretum Center is built by Lake Nevin, showcasing smaller plantings. 
1965 The lilac plantings in the Big Meadow begin.
1966 Virginia pines are transplanted from the Tower Road to the Pines Picnic area.
1969 The Quiet Garden and walkway from the Arboretum Center are built.
1972 Initial planting of the Legend Trail and dwarf conifer beds.
1976  The Holly collection undergoes significant expansion, to become the largest collection of American hollies in North America.
1981 The limestone sculpture by Paul Fields is placed near the entrance to the Sun and Shade Trail.
1982 Wild turkeys are successfully reintroduced at Bernheim. The Bernheim population becomes an important foundation stock for reintroducing turkeys throughout Kentucky.
1988 Bernheim begins developing a long-range, strategic management plan. 
1992 A new road is built to showcase the holly collection and create a continuous loop through the arboretum.
1994 Buddy Hubbuch, Bernheim Director of Horticulture, registers a new variety of American holly, called 'Marilyn,' with the Holly Society of America.
1995 Hybrid varieties of the once common but now nearly extinct American chestnut trees are planted in the research forest as part of an effort to find a variety resistant to the chestnut blight.
1996 A holly registered at Bernheim, Galyean Gold, is selected to represent the Holly Society of America's fiftieth annual meeting.
1997 Nature Center is renovated to house administrative offices and a visitors center. 
2004 The new Research Center opens.
2005 The new green Visitor Center opens to the public.
2005 2005 Business Conservation Partner of the Year from Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources.
2005 AIA Kentucky Chapter 2005 Excellence in Design Honor Award
2006 Dream Client of the Year from "Building & Construction Magazine"
2007 Platinum LEED Green Building Certification from USGBC, first in several state region