The arboretum began more than 50 years ago when Earl G. Maxwell began to plant trees on the campus. It was subsequently dedicated as the second site of the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum.
Mature oaks include specimens of black, bur, English, pin, sawtooth, shingle, shumard, and swamp white varieties. Other trees include blue ash, chestnut, pawpaw, sweetgum, black tupelo, and Scots pine. Additional plants include lilacs, cold-hardy rhododendrons, and viburnums, as well as over 80 hosta cultivars, and a 1-acre (4,000 m2) prairie with native wildflowers and bluestem and Indian grass.
