1941: 33 acres of Kentucky farmland is purchased by master craftsman and nurseryman, Theodore Klein, and his wife, Martha Sangeter Klein. Over the next 40 years, Klein transforms open farmland into a collection of display gardens, an arboretum, support buildings, and operates the site as a nursery. He collects over 1000 unusual specimen trees and shrubs and works to develop new plant varieties for the regional landscape, amassing more than 60 unique introductions
1998: Klein dies. Yew Dell, which had been zoned commercial, comes under development pressure that threatens the property
A board of community volunteers is formed to raise funds to purchase the property and ultimately restore Yew Dell Gardens to share with the public
2001: The non-profit Yew Dell, Inc. is formed
2002: The farm is purchased by the Friends of Yew Dell from the Klein family. Yew Dell, Inc. formalizes its relationship with the Garden Conservancy, which provides guidance in stabilizing the gardens while a professional staff is recruited. Paul Cappiello becomes part-time director, becoming fulltime executive director in time.
2006: Historic barn restored.
2007: Yew Dell is the featured landscape in Garden Design magazine, which calls the garden, "a connoisseur's showcase open to all—populated with a collection of hundreds of unusual specimen trees and shrubs."
2008: Yew Dell opens to the public Monday to Saturday.
2010: New visitor center opens, winning architectural awards and dramatically improving public access and orientation.
2011: National Park Service lists Yew Dell on National Register of Historic Places.
