Governor Furnas Arboretum in Brownville, Nebraska, was planted in 1992–93 and joined the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum in 1996. Though relatively young, it contains more than 100 species of trees and shrubs, including European beech, sweetgum, blackgum, willow oak, fringe tree, Balkan pine, and Japanese kerria. It honors Brownville native Robert W. Furnas, who became Nebraska’s second governor in 1872 and strongly promoted tree planting on the plains. Working with Julius Sterling Morton, he helped advance the movement that led to Nebraska’s first Arbor Day, and as governor he signed the 1874 proclamation for that first observance.