In 1977, the young folks at the Young Adult Conservation Corp (YACC) were able to dig all the drains and all the holes for the red oaks which became the foundation for what is now known as the Northrup Memorial Nature Hall. John Ploetz had seen a similar hall in 1949 in New Hampshire at the home of Dr. Poling, a theologian from Philadelphia. His son was one of four chaplains that went down with the USS Dorchester during World War II. Mrs. Poling showed John what they had done as a memorial to their son. John had this in mind when he designed the Nature Hall at the Arboretum. The hall is available for weddings and outdoor educational events. See Arboretum Use Policy for details.