Located near Halsey, the Bessey Nursery, as originally established, comprised fifteen acres of land south of the Middle Loup River and included a two-story headquarters building, mess hall, barn, and shop building. The nursery was created in 1903 to produce seedling trees for planting on the Dismal River Forest Preserve, which later became the Nebraska National Forest. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places,It was the first federal forest tree nursery and was developed by the U.S. Bureau of Forestry, which later became the Forest Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Originally called the Halsey Nursery, the name was changed in 1915 in honor of Dr. Charles E. Bessey, former professor of botany at the University of Nebraska.