Arboretum Review : Oaklands Historic House Museum

Oaklands Historic House Museum
900 North Maney Ave.
Murfreesboro, TN 37130
Phone : 615-893-0022
Email : info@oaklandsmuseum.org
Website : http://www.oaklandsmuseum.org/

View Loaction on the Arboretum Map

Dates visited : 15 February 2009 & 13 May 2009

I orignially visited Oaklands in early 2009 when the trees were still bare. Upon seeing the extensive collection of trees I resolved to make a return visit in the spring, but much to my disappointment scheduling made me miss the spring flowers. Although spring had passed me by I was able to return in the summer to see the trees clad in leaves.


Listed on the National Register of Historic Places for it's architecture and history Oaklands is much more than the arboretum on its grounds. The house has a gift shop and guided tours are avaliable for a small fee. Access to the park & grounds are free. The arboretum itself is actually quite young and much of it was planted in 2008. The addition the arboretum has resulted in an excellent mixture of old mature trees and young trees that are scattered across the grounds.

In the park side of Oaklands there is a large pavilion with picnic tables & a playground. Beyond are baseball fields and open park space.

Cultural signs scattered across the site detail everything from local history to nature & science.

Each tree marker not only bears the scientific and common names of the trees, but fun facts reveal historic native american and civil war time uses for the trees.

Just to the East of the house a natural spring flows into a swampy area.

Just up the hill from the spring house stands The History Oak, a white oak that is over 200 years old.

Observed Trees:

Oaklands has an extensive collection of trees with no fewer than 65 identified species. Oaks, from which the estate gained its name, display 12 different variety.

Acer rubrum - Red Maple
Acer saccharum - Sugar Maple
Aesculus octandra - Yellow Buckeye
Amelanchier arborea - Downy Serviceberry
Amelanchier laevis - Allegheny Serviceberry
Betula lenta - Black Birch
Carpinus caroliniana - American Hornbeam
Carya glabra - Pignut Hickory
Carya illinoensis - Sweet Pecan
Carya tomentosa - Mockernut Hickory
Cercis canadensis - Eastern Redbud
Chionanthus virginicus - Fringetree
Cladrastis kentukea - American Yellowwood
Cornus florida - Flowering Dogwood
Diospyros virginiana - Persimmon
Euonymus atropurpureus - Wahoo
Fagus grandifolia - American Beech
Fraxinus americana - White Ash
Fraxinus quadrangulata - Blue Ash
Gleditsia triacanthos - Honey Locust
Gymnocladus dioica - Kentucky Coffeetree
Hamamelis virginiana - Witch-Hazel
Ilex decidua - Possumhaw
Juglans cinerea - Butternut
Juglans nigra - Black Walnut
Juniperus virginiana - Eastern Red Cedar
Liquidambar styraciflua - Sweetgum
Liriodendron tulipifera - Tulip Tree
Magnolia grandiflora - Southern Magnolia
Malus angustifolia - Southern Crab Apple
Ostrya virginiana - American Hophornbeam
Oxydendrum arboreum - Sourwood
Pinus virginiana - Virginia Pine
Platanus occidentalis - Sycamore
Populus deltoides - Eastern Cottonwood
Populus heterophylla - Swamp Cottonwood
Prunus americana - American Plum
Prunus angustifolia - Chickasaw Plum
Prunus serotina - Black Cherry
Pyrus communis - Common Pear
Quercus alba - White Oak
Quercus coccinea - Scarlet Oak
Quercus falcata - Southern Red Oak
Quercus macrocarpa - Bur Oak
Quercus michauxii - Swamp Chestnut Oak
Quercus muehlenbergii - Chinkapin Oak
Quercus nigra - Water Oak
Quercus pagoda - Cherrybark Oak
Quercus palustris - Pin Oak
Quercus shumardii - Shumard Oak
Quercus stellata - Post Oak
Quercus velutina - Black Oak
Rhus copallina - Shining Sumac
Rhus glabra - Smooth Sumac
Robinia viscosa - Clammy Locust
Salix nigra - Black Willow
Thuja occidentalis - Arborvitae
Tsuga canadensis - Canadian Hemlock
Ulmus alata - Winged Elm
Ulmus americana - American Elm
Ulmus rubra - Slippery Elm
Ulmus serotina - Red Elm
Ulmus thomasii - Rock Elm
Viburnum prunifolium - Blackhaw
Viburnum rufidulum - Southern Rusty Blackhaw