1927 – 2027 · All year
One hundred years on the Plateau
In 2027 the Highlands Biological Station turns one hundred, and we’re marking it all year: exhibits, lectures and celebrations across the Nature Center, the gardens and the laboratories.
Founded 1927Centennial year 2027Across all three campuses
The centennial
A permanent place to look closely
A century ago, a handful of scientists decided that a small town at 4,118 feet, in one of the most biologically rich temperate landscapes on the planet, deserved a permanent place to study it. A hundred years of research, teaching and conservation have followed.
Throughout 2027 we’ll bring out exhibits from the archives, host lectures by researchers, and gather across the Nature Center, the gardens and the laboratories.
The centennial year begins in
Founded 1927 · one hundred years in 2027
A century in brief
From one room to a 24-acre campus
Drag along the line, or press play, to walk through a hundred years of the Station.
- 1927The Highlands Museum Association is founded by Clark Foreman and local citizens.
- 1928The museum opens on July 4 in a one-room addition to the Hudson Library.
- 1931The first research laboratory.
- 1941The WPA-built museum and outdoor amphitheater officially open.
- 1960sField courses and the Grant-in-Aid program begin.
- 1961The Station’s climate record begins.
- 1962The Highlands Botanical Gardens are established by botanists Ralph M. Sargent, Henry Wright, Henry R. Totten and others.
- Mid-1970sHBS becomes a UNC system inter-institutional center, and the Highlands Biological Foundation is established.
- 2001Partnership with what is now UNC’s Institute for the Environment begins, and the Nature Center is renovated for year-round programs.
- 2018HBS becomes a multi-campus center of Western Carolina University.
- 2020MAPS bird banding begins on campus with the Blue Ridge Bird Observatory.
- 2026Structural repairs to the Nature Center: “letting the light back in.”
- 2027One hundred years on the Plateau.
2027 calendar
Save the dates
Programming runs throughout 2027, with calendar details coming soon. TK: 2027 calendar