Christy Woods was part of the original land gift to the State of Indiana from the Ball Brothers in 1918.  Prior to donation to the State, the land was heavily used: timber was cut, hogs were allowed to graze in the woods, and this destroyed the native herbaceous and small woody vegetation in the woods. Dr. O.B. Christy worked with his biology classes to transplant wild flowers from around the state of Indiana into the woods.  An iron fence was installed to enclose the area and reduce trespassing and vandalism. The land became known as The Arboretum until 1940 when it was given the official name Christy Woods in honor of O.B. Christy, who was the head of the Science Department. Trails were developed in 1928, and garden beds were developed in the open areas.

Two main greenhouses are a part of  Christy Woods: Teaching & Research GH and Wheeler Orchid Collection and Species Bank GH. A third small greenhouse is used for propagation of native species. Within the woods, there are bulletin boards and an open wood shelter nature interpretation center. There is also an indoor classroom available for nature education.

Management Policy for Christy Woods, 2007