The Squirrel Hunters: Citizen Soldiers and the Defense of Ohio in the Civil War By Richard Donegan-AmeriCorps Civil War 150 Leader 2012 at the Oberlin Heritage Center (2012) - In late summer of 1862 two Confederate forces, one under General Robert E. Lee and the other...
History Features
History features are brief articles or posts about specific topics that have been written by OHC staff members, volunteers, and community members.
This page will be under development for some time as we migrate content from the old website. If you are interested in a particular article that is missing, please contact us.
Abolition, Civil War, and Reconstruction Features
The 7th OVI at The Battle of Kernstown—March, 1862
The 7th OVI at The Battle of Kernstown—March, 1862 By Richard Donegan AmeriCorps Civil War 150 Leadership Volunteer 2012 at the Oberlin Heritage Center (2012) - As 1862 began, President Lincoln urged his Generals to advance against the forces of the Confederacy in all...
Hiram Alonzo Pease: The Legend of a Principled Abolitionist
Hiram Alonzo Pease: The Legend of a Principled Abolitionist By Richard Donegan-AmeriCorps Civil War 150 Leadership Volunteer at the Oberlin Heritage Center (2012) - One of Oberlin’s proudest legacies is the town’s role in the Underground Railroad and the fight against...
Kessler’s Cross Lanes
7th Ohio Volunteers at Kessler's Cross Lanes By Richard Donegan AmeriCorps Civil War 150 Leadership Volunteer 2012 at the Oberlin Heritage Center On April 12, 1861, an Oberlin College student named Martin M. Andrews turned 22 years old. While the day would prove to be...
Sandusky’s Underground Railroad
by Melva Tolbert, OHC Volunteer About 4 years ago, the Oberlin Heritage Center traveled to Sandusky, Ohio as part of their education program for staff and volunteer docents. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend, but continued to have an interest in the history of...
A Visit to the Norfolk Waterfront
By Melva Tolbert, Oberlin Heritage Center Volunteer In keeping with the theme of freedom and the Underground Railroad, I recently visited Norfolk, Virginia which is rich in history and stories of freedom. After a stop at the Norfolk Visitors Bureau, I set out to find...
Women’s History
The weary feet and willing shoulders of Almira Porter Barnes
by Ron Gorman, Oberlin Heritage Center volunteer docent, researcher, and trustee Oberlin's history is chock-full of people who have gained national and international recognition for their achievements, like Antoinette Brown (Blackwell) - the first female ordained...
Frances Jackson Coppin – From Slavery to Trailblazer
by Ron Gorman, Oberlin Heritage Center volunteer docent, researcher and trustee Frances ("Fanny") Jackson came to Oberlin in 1860 with a dream - a dream "to get an education and to teach my people", she said. "This idea was deep in my soul. Where it came from I cannot...
William Howard Day & Lucie Stanton
by Ron Gorman, Oberlin Heritage Center volunteer docent In 1850, a young African American couple from Oberlin, acclaimed as up-and-coming spokespersons against slavery and racial injustice, gazed with optimism towards a future of bright hope for themselves, their...
Lucy Stone and the Margaret Garner tragedy
by Ron Gorman, Oberlin Heritage Center volunteer docent The winter of 1856 was a particularly harsh one - harsh enough that the Ohio River froze solid in January, something that only happened every few years. When it did happen, enslaved Americans on the Kentucky...
William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglass debate in Oberlin
by Ron Gorman, Oberlin Heritage Center volunteer docent Did you know that Oberlin was the scene of a series of heated public debates featuring renowned abolitionists William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglass and their colleagues in the 1840s? Well, it was, and if...
Civil Rights in the 20th Century
Citizens vs. The City: Reexamining the Events of May 8, 1970
On May 4, 1970, members of the Ohio National Guard opened fire on students protesting the Vietnam War at Kent State University, killing four. In the days that followed, college towns across the United States and especially in Ohio were on edge. They worried that...
Integrating Oberlin’s Barber Shops, 1944-45
By Mary Manning, Ph.D., 2015-16 Local History Corps AmeriCorps Member Examining the history of Oberlin’s barber shops means addressing a situation in which overt discrimination was standard practice, far into the twentieth century and throughout the United States. In...
History Highlights
Citizens vs. The City: Reexamining the Events of May 8, 1970
On May 4, 1970, members of the Ohio National Guard opened fire on students protesting the Vietnam War at Kent State University, killing four. In the days that followed, college towns across the United States and especially in Ohio were on edge. They worried that...
Covenant of the Oberlin Colony, 1833
(This document, including signatures, is held by the Oberlin College Archives) Covenant of the Oberlin Colony (1833) Lamenting the degeneracy of the church and the deplorable condition of our perishing world, and ardently desirous of bringing both under the entire...
Oberlin and Hair Depilatories
By Emily Winnicki, 2022 Summer OHC Intern DISCLAIMER: The Oberlin Heritage Center does not recommend the use of any products not currently approved by the FDA. Figure 1. Advertisement for “Flash” (Oberlin Alumni Magazine, July 1921) History of...
1930 Drought: The Most Critical Situation in Oberlin’s Waterworks History
By Zenobia Calhoun, 2021 Summer OHC Volunteer A long drought in 1930 tested Oberlinians’ energy and strength along with millions around the nation. It decimated crops and threatened Oberlin’s water supply: “The water shortage really was a serious condition—more...
History of the Morgan Street Water Works
By OHC Executive Director Liz Schultz The complex of structures on Morgan Street known as the Water Works tells the history of Oberlin's growth as a city, continuous efforts to problem-solve through science and engineering, and leadership in civic improvements....
The Lost Streets of Oberlin
by Officer Bashshar Wiley,Oberlin Police Department As a police officer with the City of Oberlin Police Department, I spend a lot of time patrolling the streets and neighborhoods. Although I’m not sure of the exact number of miles driven or hours spent on patrol...
It Happened in Oberlin
by Officer Bashshar Wiley,Oberlin Police Department For the past 5 1/2 years I’ve been a police officer with the Oberlin Police Department. Prior to being employed by the city, I lived in Oberlin until the age of 11 when I moved to the Village of Grafton. Growing up,...
Oral History: Christmas Traditions
(Part Three of a Three-Part Holiday blog series) by Melissa Clifford, 2014 Kent State MLIS graduate student While scouring through the oral history transcripts, I have stumbled across quite a few stories about Christmas in Oberlin’s past. To me, Christmas has...
Oral History: Thanksgiving Traditions
(Part Two of a Three-Part Holiday blog series) by Melissa Clifford, 2014 Kent State MLIS Museum Studies graduate student *Please note that all icons are actually links to sound files so that you can hear our Oral History interviewees tell their own stories!* I’ve...
Collections Highlights
“Unyielding dedication”: Stephen Johnson on Richard Lothrop’s Legacy
by Hannah Cipinko, Oberlin Heritage Center Junior Intern Richard Lothrop (1925-2015), pictured with his cocker spaniel Rusty. [1] Oberlin is well known for its historic qualities, its strong sense of community, and high amount of community involvement. In this...
Behind the Scenes – Oral History Digitizing
by Eileen Telegdy, Oberlin Heritage Center volunteer I am Eileen Telegdy and in October of 2014 I retired, sold my home and moved to a condo in Oberlin. I responded to an ad Liz Schultz, the Museum Education and Tour Coordinator of the Oberlin Heritage Center, placed...
A Doll’s House
by Eli Goldberg (Oberlin College Class of 2012) Over the last month I've been working with Claire and Daniella to restore the Heritage Center's 1930s doll house. As an archaeology major, I'm used to working with old things - but this doll house is about 2,000 years...
Morgan Street Bridge Railings
Restored Morgan Street Bridge Railings Installed at the Oberlin Heritage Center Last spring Oberlin Heritage Center volunteers, including Walter Edling, Bert Latran, Dick Holsworth, Charles Pope and George Clark rescued and refurbished the century-old iron railings...