Dorrance H. Hamilton Fernery, Morris Arboretum

John T. Morris (1847-1915) and his sister Lydia T. Morris (1849-1932) began buying the estate that became the Morris Arboretum in 1887; it is now run by the University of Pennsylvania. John gathered plants from around the world, and the fernery was built in 1899 under his supervision.

For the interior rockwork he hired two Japanese garden makers, Kushibiki and Arai, who assembled about one hundred tons of local Wissahickon schist into formations resembling a cave or mountain cliff, crossed by discreet waterfalls, a stream bed and a goldfish pond. The ferns were ordered from London specialists William and John Birkenhead and grouped by botanical affinity and labelled. The original inventory counted 523 fern varieties and 47 of Selaginella.

After Lydia's death in 1932 the estate became a public arboretum, while the fernery itself declined gradually over the following century. In 1994 a $1.2 million restoration was funded by a gift from board member Dorrance H. Hamilton, together with other contributions and a matching grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The building has carried her name since. English Wikipedia nevertheless describes it as closed to the public, whereas the arboretum's own website says visitors are welcome year-round.

The fernery has an octagonal plan and is regarded as the only freestanding Victorian fernery still standing in North America. Its construction combines locally quarried stone with what were then advanced techniques: cut glass, steam heating and carefully detailed architectural elements.

The interior matters as much as the envelope. About one hundred tons of Wissahickon schist form a grotto or mountain wall down which small cascades run, before reaching a stream bed and a pond. This mineral and watery setting frames the fern collection.

The 1994 restoration re-established the roof's original curvature, replaced the heating and electrical systems, added climate control and repaired the waterfall, ponds and stone walls. A blue flagstone plaza was added during the same campaign.

The fernery now holds more than 200 species of ferns and fern allies, a group that includes lycophytes such as the club mosses (Selaginella). The original inventory was larger still: 523 fern varieties and 47 of Selaginella, labelled and arranged by botanical affinity, and bought from William and John Birkenhead of London.

The plants are set within the rockery, beside running water. The collection documents the Victorian taste for ferns, which the arboretum presents as a genuine horticultural passion of the period.

The sources consulted do not list individual specimens or seasonal displays: the appeal lies in the density of foliage and the combination of stone and water.

The fernery sits in a fold of land below the Rose Garden at the Morris Arboretum, a 92-acre site run by the University of Pennsylvania. It can be visited all year round and in any weather, which makes it a useful stop in winter or in the rain. The arboretum offers a downloadable self-guided tour that explains the history of the building.

The immediate surroundings include wooden bridges and reflecting pools that carry the atmosphere of the glasshouse outdoors. A visit combines naturally with the neighbouring Rose Garden, and then with the rest of the grounds laid out by John and Lydia Morris around the turn of the twentieth century.