Washington Avenue Coalition / Memorial Park in Houston in Harris County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Houston Arboretum & Nature Center
Photographed by Jeff Leichsenring, June 2, 2025
1. Houston Arboretum & Nature Center Marker
Inscription.
Houston Arboretum and Nature Center. . Following efforts spanning the 1920s-1950s to set aside an arboretum from Memorial Park, science educator Robert A. Vines and philanthropist Susan Clayton McAshan worked together to secure permanency during the environmental awakening of the 1960s. Arrangements were made for the Houston Botanical Society to operate the site, exchanging earlier plans of manicured grounds for conservation of the native ecosystem. In 1967, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall participated in a groundbreaking ceremony for the Aline McAshan Botanical Hall For Children. Today, this urban nature sanctuary educates people of all ages about the natural environment.
Following efforts spanning the 1920s-1950s to set aside an arboretum from
Memorial Park, science educator
Robert A. Vines and philanthropist
Susan Clayton McAshan worked
together to secure permanency
during the environmental awakening
of the 1960s. Arrangements were made
for the Houston Botanical Society to
operate the site, exchanging earlier
plans of manicured grounds for
conservation of the native ecosystem.
In 1967, U.S. Secretary of the Interior
Stewart Udall participated in a
groundbreaking ceremony for the
Aline McAshan Botanical Hall For
Children. Today, this urban nature
sanctuary educates people of all ages
about the natural environment.
Erected 2020 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 22788.)
Location. 29° 45.916′ N, 95° 27.144′ W. Marker is in Houston, Texas, in Harris County. It is in Washington Avenue Coalition / Memorial Park. It is on Woodway Drive east of Loop Interstate 610. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4501 Woodway Drive, Houston TX 77024, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the American South and on the Gulf Coast. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Republic of Texas, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow
Credits. This page was last revised on June 4, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 3, 2025, by Jeff Leichsenring of Garland, Texas. This page has been viewed 191 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on June 3, 2025, by Jeff Leichsenring of Garland, Texas. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.
