The Jesse Hepler Lilac Arboretum was located on the
University of New Hampshire
The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant college in Hanover in connection with Dartmouth College, mo ...
campus in
Durham, New Hampshire
Durham is a town in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 15,490 at the 2020 census, up from 14,638 at the 2010 census.United States Census BureauU.S. Census website 2010 Census figures. Retrieved March 23, 2011. D ...
,
USA
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, at 4 Library Way, from 1940 to 1980.
Jesse R. Hepler was acting chairman of the horticulture department in 1938, and suggested establishing a
lilac
''Syringa'' is a genus of 12 currently recognized species of flowering plant, flowering woody plants in the olive family or Oleaceae called lilacs. These lilacs are native to woodland and scrub from southeastern Europe to eastern Asia, and wid ...
arboretum on the slope behind Thompson Hall, a site that became known as Lilac Hill. It was dedicated in 1940, and in 1948 many of the research species were relocated there.The UNH Connection, UNH Alumni Association May 1, 2009, accessed 13 Feb 2012 It had 100 varieties of lilac (''
Syringa
''Syringa'' is a genus of 12 currently recognized species of flowering plant, flowering woody plants in the olive family or Oleaceae called lilacs. These lilacs are native to woodland and scrub from southeastern Europe to eastern Asia, and wid ...
'' species) in seven color classes. By 1980, the genetic range had diminished due to cross breeding, and the decision was taken to uproot the arboretum. The lilac is the state flower of New Hampshire,50states.com /ref> and the plants were offered to the campus community. Lilac lovers wanting plants for their gardens cleared the site within 90 minutes. The continuing research into lilacs was moved to the UNH Horticultural Research facility at Woodman Farm, Spinney Lane, in Durham (at