Forest Park Museum and Arboretum
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Forest Park Museum and Arboretum 17 acres (69,000 m²) is a museum and arboretum located near Perry, Iowa. It is open seasonally May 1 to October 31 during daylight hours. There is no admission fee.
The museum and arboretum were originally developed on 5 acres (20,000 m²) in the 1940's by Eugene Hastie, a farmer and local historian of Dallas County. He planted his arboretum in straight lines to allow farming between the trees, and in 1953 opened his museum to the public. In 1966, the Dallas County Conservation Department purchased the site, and has subsequently added another 12 acres (49,000 m²) of re-established prairie and wildflowers.
The arboretum contains over 100 species of primarily native trees and shrubs. Museum displays include the last one-room school house of Dallas County (built 1867, closed 1961), early transportation and railroading memorabilia, farm machinery, small hand tools, and a blacksmith shop.
