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World War II Memorial Garden
The World War II memorial garden commemorates the 75 Oberlin college alumni who were killed in World War II. Unusual for a war memorial, the Oberlin memorial lists the names of all alumni who died in the war--including Masura Nakamura, who fought for…
Soldiers Monument
The Soldiers Monument was erected in 1870 to honor the 96 Oberlin men who died in the Civil War. Of the fallen, 55 were students who had been enrolled in the college, and 41 were Oberlin residents. Once located at the corner of College and Professor…
Underground Railroad Monument
Created by then college senior Cameron Armstrong in 1977, this sculpture of train tracks rising out from the ground commemorates Oberlin's importance as a stop on the Underground Railroad. Originally planned as a temporary installation, the…
Oberlin-Wellington Rescue Monument
This monument, which was erected in 1990 and is located in Martin Luther King Park, commemorates the 1858 Oberlin-Wellington Rescue. In that year, slave catchers captured John Price, an escapee from slavery who was living outside Oberiln. A large…
Oberlin Tuskegee Airmen Monument
One of the most recent monuments erected in Oberlin, this placque remembers nine men with links to Oberlin who served in the Tuskeegee Airmen during World War II. The Tuskeegee Airmen were the first black pilots allowed to fight in the US military;…
Oberlin War Memorial
Erected in 1943 in the midst of World War II, the Oberlin War Memorial incorporated the marble tablets removed from an early war memorial that had been dismantled in 1934 in response to strong pacifist sentiment. Tablets on the monument's brick wall…
Memorial Arch, 2004
A picture of Oberlin's Memorial Arch from September 27, 2004. The arch, erected in memory of American missionaries killed in the 1899 Boxer Rebellion in China, was built in Oberlin because most of those killed were Oberlin alumni or their families.…
Nichols Memorial Gateway
This gateway was erected as a memorial to John Herbert Nichols, a longtime director of Oberlin College's Athletic Department, on the occassion of his 1955 retirement. It marks the entrance to Oberlin's athletic fields.
Harper's Ferry Memorial
This memorial, originally placed in Westwood Cemetery sometime around 1865, honors the two Black Oberlin residents who were died as a result of John Brown's 1859 raid on a US arsenal in Harper's Ferry, Virginia. Brown and his followers were…
Martin Luther King Jr. Monument
The city of Oberlin dedicated this memorial to Martin Luther King Jr. in 1987 at the same time as they changed the name of the park where it is located from Vine Street Park to Martin Luther King, Jr. Park. Famed civil rights leader Martin Luther…
Haskell Fountain
This marble and bronze fountain memorializes Katharine Wright Haskell, an 1898 graduate of Oberlin College. Wright was the sister of Wilbur and Orville Wright and she assisted them in their pursuit of flight. She became the second woman ever to serve…
Co-education Centennial Memorial Gateway
In 1837, Oberlin became the first college to admit women on an equal basis with men. This memorial was erected in 1937 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of co-education. Inscribed with the text, "This gateway commemorates the enrance of women into…
Memorial Arch, 1990
The Memorial Arch, erected in Oberlin's Tappan Square in 1903, is the only monument to the United States that relates to the history of the Boxer Rebellion, an anti-imperialist uprising in China. In 1900, thirteen American missionaries and five of…
John Frederick Oberlin Monument
This granite monolith located on the Oberlin College campus commemorates Oberlin's namesake, who was a pastor in the France in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The monument incorporates an optical effect that Oberlin used in his pastoral…
A Kid's Tour of Oberlin History
This tour centers on five sites clustered around Martin Luther King, Jr., Park on Vine Street between Main Street and Park Street. Structured as a "quest"--which asks kids to answer a question before moving to the next site--it will take a half hour…
Oberlin History Highlights
This short tour, taking 15-20 minutes to complete, introduces the history of Oberlin, including its religious inspiration, its abolitionist commitment and its attention to the education of women. It was co-created for the Coalition for Oberlin…
More Oberlin History Highlights: The Struggle for Racial Justice
This tour visits Oberlin monuments to explore its abolitionist heritage and contributions to the Civil War, and includes site that signaled the town’s re-dedication to African American struggles during the Civil Rights era.
This tour takes about…
This tour takes about…
Oberlin College: The First Century
The tour consists of eight stops, all on or near Tappan Square. The tour was developed under the auspices of the Oberlin College Archives and the Coalition for Oberlin History.
Oberlin's African-American Community: Historic Groveland
The southeast quadrant of the City of Oberlin has historically housed the African-American community and Groveland Street is at its heart.
Walking Tour of Oberlin's Downtown Historic District
A wonderful introduction to the history of Oberlin's downtown can be found in a downloadable version of "A Walking Tour of Oberlin's Downtown Historic District," published by the City of Oberlin Historic Preservation Commission. This self-guided tour…
Freedom's Friends
This tour is a self-guided version of the popular Freedom's Friends History Walk. The tour guides you to local landmarks connected to Oberlin's abolitionist history. Explore at your own pace while reading stories of sacrifice and freedom and seeing…
Picture the Past
This tour covers a one block radius extending from the corner of Main and College Streets and is filled with fun facts, historic photographs, and more!
History of the Schools of Oberlin
Learn about the history of public education in Oberlin, visit locations of where former schools were located, hear oral history recollections from students of the twentieth century, and explore how the school system and buildings evolved into the…
Oberlin Service Men and Women (Westwood Cemetery Memorial Day Tour)
This tour includes an introduction to Oberlin’s historic cemetery, local reactions to the nation’s involvement in various wars and conflicts dating back to the Civil War, and stories of Oberlinians who served in the military and war relief efforts.
Walking Tour of Jewett-Related Sites
Created for "Jewett Day" in 2013, this two-page brochure includes photographs, information and a map to seven local landmarks related to Frank Fanning Jewett and Sarah Frances Gulick Jewett. Mr. Jewett taught chemistry at Oberlin College and Mrs.…
Biking Tour of Historic Oberlin
This tour is designed for bikers, but can also be traveled on foot or by car. For booklet copies of the tour visit the Oberlin Heritage Center office in the James Monroe House at 73 1/2 South Professor St. The full tour is about 4 and 1/2 miles.
Charles Martin Hall and Oberlin's Aluminum Connection
This walking tour visits 14 locations associated with Charles Martin Hall's life in Oberlin, including his homes; Tappan Square which he endowed; and Hall Auditorium, named for his mother.
Westwood Cemetery Tour
A self-guided walking tour of the historic Westwood Cemetery, includes 24 'stops' at the grave markers of famous residents from the 19th century.
Oberlin Monuments and Outdoor Sculpture: World War II Memorial Garden
A 3-page history of the construction of World War II Memorial Garden, which was built in 1995 to honor Oberlin alumni who died in the war.
Oberlin Monuments and Outdoor Sculpture: Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
This 8-page guide offers a brief history of Martin Luther King Jr's visits to Oberlin, discusses the decision to erect a monument to him in 1987, highlights the work of local mason Burrell Scott and bricklayer Henry Young on the monument, and offers…
Chalk Walk, 2014, #1
A sidewalk chalk drawing of two fish from the 2014 Oberlin Chalk Walk, sponsored by the Firelands Association for the Visual Arts.
Chalk Walk, 2014, #2
Decorations on the metal fence outside the FAVA Art Building during the 2014 Oberlin Chalk Walk.
Chalk Walk, 2014, #3
Colorful pictures on the sidewalk during Oberlin's 2014 Chalk Walk, sponsored by the Firelands Association for the Visual Arts.
Chalk Walk, 2014, #5
Drawing from 2014 Chalk Walk, sponsored by the Firelands Association for the Visual Arts
Chalk Walk, 2014 #4
Spongebob Squarepants drawing, 2014 Chalk Walk. Sponsored by the Firelands Association for the Visual Arts
Chalk Walk, 2014, #6
Chalk mural of Maya Angelou with a quote from "Still I Rise" from the Oberlin 2014 Chalk Walk sponsored by the Firelands Association for the Visual Arts
Chalk Walk, 2014, #8
A chalk drawing of Muppet characters, 2014 Chalk Walk
Chalk Walk, 2014, #10
Zoya drawings, 2014 Oberlin Chalk Walk
Chalk Walk, 2014, #11
Maya Angelou Mural, Chalk Walk 2014
Chalk Walk, 2014, #12
"Tootsie and the Tongue, a love story" from Oberlin Chalk Walk, 2014
Chalk Walk, 2014, #9
"Beer--because no great story ever started with salad." Chalk Walk drawing, 2014
Chalk Walk, 2014, #7
A chalk drawing of jazz singer Billie Holiday from the 2014 Oberlin Chalk Walk.
Illumination
Photograph of multicolored Japanese-style lanterns lit up at night.
Sorting things out
Contingent from Fairchild Co-op marches with its mascot, the Humynatee, in Oberlin's Big Parade, May 2, 2009.
Oberlin College & Community [Ohio Historical Marker ]
Ohio Historical Marker describing the founding of Oberlin College and Community, located near the Little Red Schoolhouse.
Protesters on the corner of Tappan Square
At College and Main St., Oberlin OH. Subjects of protest include the War in Afghanistan, and oil well fracking.
Oberlin's Namesake: John Frederick Oberlin (1740-1826)
This digital exhibitcreated and hosted by the Oberlin College Archives, explores the life and work of John Frederick Oberlin, the French Lutheran Pastor who as the namesake of the town of Oberlin and Oberlin College.
"You were made of the stuff that makes legends": The life and legacy of Ellen H. Johnson (1972-1992)
Digitizing American Feminisms
This site features projects that began as class assignments in Professor Carol Lasser's American Feminisms class. Each project is a “mini-edition” based on documents in the Oberlin College Archives that illuminate aspects of feminisms. Each project…
Betty Glenn Thomas Project
In the spring of 2019, students in Oberlin College History 214 inaugurated an ongoing research project focused on the life and milieu of Betty Glenn Thomas. Elizabeth (Betty) Glenn Thomas was born at 195 North Professor Street on July 2, 1913, and…
Latino Lorain
A collaboration between students in Oberlin College Comparative American Studies (CAST) 335: Latinx Oral Histories and members of the community in Lorain, OH.
Oberlin Oral History Project
Hear stories of Oberlin from the townspeople themselves: graduates, shopkeepers, residents, community leaders, and more. Over 150 interviews have been completed and represent town and gown, black and white, city and country, male and female…
Kendal at Oberlin Podcasts: Together,Transforming the Experience of Aging
A vibrant life plan community, located in northeast Ohio, just one mile from Oberlin College and less than 30 miles from the Cleveland international airport. Kendal at Oberlin is a community where older adults can thrive and grow.
OberCast
A dozen Oberlin College students spent the month of January, 2020 talking about podcasts, news, and their relationship to the small Ohio town they live in.
Oh, Oberlin: There's always something happening in Oberlin. Let's make it work.
A collection of more than 50 interviews with Oberlin residents.
Oral Histories in the Oberlin College Archives
Links to finding guides for record groups in the College Archives that include an oral history.
Oberlin Through Brown Eyes
Radio interviews conducted at WOBC 91.5FM at Oberlin College
Mary Church Terrell
Mary Church Terrell was an educator and lifelong activist on behalf of women's rights and racial equality. Terrell graduated from Oberlin College with a BA in Classics in 1884. She earned an MA in education from Oberlin in 1888, becoming of the first…
The John Frederick Oberlin Collection of the Oberlin College Archives
This collection of digitized images, texts, and objects from the Oberlin College archives relates Oberlin's namesake, John Frederick Oberlin. Known in France as Jean-Frédéric but born in Strasbourg as Johann Friedrich, Oberlin was a Lutheran pastor…