What I saw - Bernheim Forest

Kentucky native vine

Art Installation - Bernheim Arboretum

The Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest is a located in the Knobs section of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.  The Arboretum was the gift of Isaac W. Bernheim.  Mr. Bernheim immigrated to the United States from Germany.  He and his younger brother established a beverage distillery in Paducah in 1872.  Later they moved their operation to Louisville.  The statue of Thomas Jefferson at the Jefferson County Courthouse is a gift of Isaac Bernheim.

Though his works in Kentucky have been appreciated in the Commonwealth he also was associated with Colorado.  In the 1920s he moved to Denver, Colorado.

The Arboretum site was reclaimed from a heavily cut over area.  That area had salt production and iron production during the 1800s.  Both of these products used wood for fuel in their production.  Most of the trees were cut to accumulate wood for the industries. Many different trees live at the Arboretum. The site is privately owned and is open for visitors to see the trees of the Arboretum.