COLLECTIONS

The Oberlin Heritage Center collects the material and intellectual culture of the people of Oberlin, Ohio, and preserves it for the benefit of present and future generations. The collection helps tell the history of Oberlin and its activist traditions of abolitionism, temperance, co-education, progressivism, and women’s rights, and the stories associated with our two house museums and school house, from 1833 to the present. The collection forms the foundation for the organization’s research, scholarship, exhibitions, public programs, and outreach.

Collections include but are not limited to:

  • Furniture
  • Domestic Appliances
  • Textiles and Costumes
  • Photographs
  • Oberlin Business Memorabilia
  • Oberlin Public Schools Memorabilia
  • Oral Histories
Use of the collection is available for personal, professional, or academic research by appointment only. To make an appointment contact The Collections Manager or call 440-774-1700. Additional information on using the collection for research can be found here.

The Oberlin Heritage Center’s Collections Management Policy is available to read as a PDF

Donate to the Collection

Donations to the collection are considered on a case-by-case basis and must support the mission of the museum. OHC seeks objects, photographs, and archival material both ordinary and extraordinary, that have an Oberlin story to tell.

If you would like to submit a donation for consideration, contact The Collections Manager or call 440-774-1700.