Arboretum History
Arboretum History
A large crowd gathers outside of a wooden building with a slanted roof. The crowd sits in chairs in rows, looking towards a stage that is bordered by flags. Behind the building and the crowd is a dense forest.

The J.C. Taylor Nature Centre

Header image: Opening day of the J.C. Taylor Nature Centre, 1978

Opened in 1978, the J.C. Taylor Nature Centre is the site where tens of thousands of school children have learned about topics such as maple syrup, insects, pond life, wildlife gardening, feeder birds and forest habitats. Initially designed as a sugar shack complete with a maple syrup evaporator, it now houses the grade 11 Da Vinci program as well as our in-class adult workshops which study everything from shrubs to winter twigs, spiders to butterflies, and hawks to warblers.

The J.C. Taylor Nature Centre takes its name from Professor James “Jimmy” C. Taylor. Taylor was a Horticulture professor at the Ontario Agricultural College and, after its transition to university status, the University of Guelph. He sat on the Arboretum Planning Committee from 1966 to 1970 to assist with the establishment of The Arboretum. Taylor passed away in 1976, but his memory lives on at the J.C. Taylor Nature Centre.

A wooden building with a slanted roof stands in front of a forest.

J.C. Taylor Nature Centre.

A large crowd of people form a line in front of a wooden building with a slanted roof. They line up for a pancakes and fresh maple syrup made at the demonstration. In front of the crowd, a pot is held over a fire using a rope attached to a tree logs propped up.

Crowd gathers outside of the J.C. Taylor nature Centre during one of our Maple Syrup Days weekends.

A large crowd gathers outside of a wooden building with a slanted roof. The crowd sits in chairs in rows, looking towards a stage that is bordered by flags. Behind the building and the crowd is a dense forest.

Opening day of the J.C. Taylor Nature Centre, 1978.

A gravel road curves in front of the viewer and away to the right. A wooden building lies in the distance beyond the edge of the road. A large green field spans from the left of the building to as far as the camera could capture.

J.C. Taylor Centre in the distance, 1987.

A wooden building with a slanted roof sits in front of a large forest of green trees. A wall of stacked stones sits in front of the building.

J.C. Taylor Centre, 2020.

This is a sampling of some of the many photos that have been taken and people that have been a part of The Arboretum’s 50 years of operations. Do you have some photos you would like to share? Upload them to our Arboretum History Kudoboard.

The land where The Arboretum now grows has been home to plants and animals for thousands of years. It was home to Indigenous peoples before settlers arrived. We recognize the Dish with One Spoon territory, the treaty lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit, and the Between the Lakes Treaty 3 lands on which the University of Guelph and The Arboretum now sit. We are honoured to work on and care for this land.