Why Do We Need an Oberlin Community History Hub?
Oberlin Settlement in 1838
The Oberlin Community History Hub brings together materials about Oberlin's past from many different places. It's no surprise that there is such a rich body of historical materials about Oberlin, ranging from primary source collections to walking tours, historical guides, digital scholarship, and historical databases. Oberlin is a small city with a big history. The town of Oberlin and Oberlin College were founded in 1833 as a utopian project to promote Christian values in American society and Oberlin soon became known for its "historical firsts." The college was the first in the country to admit women and African American students on an equal basis as a matter of policy. The new settlement attracted a thriving black community and Oberlin was an important center of the abolitionist movement, the fight for women's suffrage, the temperance movement, and for 20th century peace, civil rights, and women's rights movements.
Its history has been controversial too. Oberlin trained many of the missionaries who sought to spread Christianity throughout the world in the late 19th century, which many Oberlinians today see as an act of western imperialism. What began as a community based on the ideal of racial equality has come to look more like the rest of the country, with segregated neighborhoods and churches. The town and college have weathered debates about civil rights, America’s role in the world, political protest, and identity politics.
This site is a hub in that it consolidates materials that appear on many different websites into one place. With the Oberlin Community History Hub, users can quickly find content that relates to a specific search term, a theme, or a time period. The OCHH makes resources related to Oberlin easier to search, use, and compare.
And the Hub offers people associated with Oberlin, from long-time residents to students, a place to share their own stories about, and knowledge of, Oberlin's history. We have more documentation of Oberlin's 19th century than its more recent past. We seek your stories, photos, and documents about events. Help us document Oberlin's businesses, its churches, its politics, and its vibrant community life. The OCHH gives people a place to share their stories--written or recorded, their photos, or other documents so that Oberlin's history can be preserved and documented for the future.