Arlington in Washington County, Nebraska — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Marshall Nurseries
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 15, 2025
1. Marshall Nurseries Marker
Brothers George and Chester Marshall founded Marshall Brothers in 1887. Incorporated as Marshall Nurseries in 1916, the tree nursery survived for more than a century, bringing prosperity to Arlington and influencing horticulture throughout the country.
The companys operations grew with its reputation, opening nurseries in Omaha, Colorado Springs, and Denver. Locally, the nursery employed more than 100 people, including a large number from the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska.
The nurseries supplied much of the original landscaping for the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln and for the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha. The nurserys honors ranged from winning a statewide big tree competition in 1963 to winning the Best Fruit Display at the 1900 Worlds Fair in Paris. Marshall Nurseries may be best known for the creation of the Marshall Seedless Green Ash tree (Fraxinus pennsylvanica 'Marshall'). For many years the Marshall Ash was the most common green ash cultivar in the United States.
Marshall Nurseries closed in 1994, but its legacy lives on through the lives it touched and the trees it planted.
Erected 2018 by John Camden,
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Horticulture & Forestry • Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the Nebraska State Historical Society series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1887.
Location. 41° 27.068′ N, 96° 18.57′ W. Marker is in Arlington, Nebraska, in Washington County. It is at the intersection of Lincoln Highway (U.S. 30) and County Road 15, on the left when traveling west on Lincoln Highway. The marker is located at the southeast corner of the intersection. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Arlington NE 68002, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Eastern Nebraska and in Greater Omaha. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Lewis & Clark Corridor, in the Corn Belt, and on the prairies. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 15, 2025
2. Marshall Nurseries Marker
Looking east from Washington County Road 15. US Highway 30 (Lincoln Highway) continues east in the left background.
Another marker is no longer nearby. Overland Emigrant Trails (was approx. 9.7 miles away but has been permanently removed).
Also see . . . Marshall's Nurseries (NebraskaGenealogy.com).
Excerpt: The Arlington Nurseries were started the spring of 1887 by Chester C. Marshall, and George A. Marshall, the first planting being done on their farm two miles east of Arlington. These boys came from Ohio a few years earlier, and the open prairies of Washington County and eastern Nebraska impressed them as a great field for the sale of nursery products. The wide variation in native forest trees and wild fruits growing along the streams, as well as the generous numbers of kinds and varieties of trees, fruits, and plants set by early settlers, indicated that eastern Nebraska was adapted to horticulture in its several branches. To supply hardy trees and plants to Washington County home owners and those of adjoining counties was the aim of the originators. They organized on the partnership plan under the name of "Marshall Brothers." The business grew steadily from the beginning and within a few years the demand was such that the local part of the business no longer predominated, but goods were shipped to all nearby counties, the territory reaching out further from year to year.(Submitted on November 7, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
In 1890 H. W. Marshall was added to the firm and in 1907 a fourth brother, A. C. Marshall also joined the partnership. In 1916 the business was incorporated, under the corporate name of "Marshall's Nurseries," the Marshall family retaining the larger part of the stock and the general management. Twelve to fifteen trained nurserymen were employed throughout the year, and fifteen to thirty-five additional men were needed during the digging and shipping periods in fall and spring. About fifty salesmen were employed in Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, Wyoming, Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 7, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 7, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 120 times since then and 77 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 7, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
