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

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...

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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...

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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...

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Women’s History

Civil Rights in the 20th Century

History Highlights

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...

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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...

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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....

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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...

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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,...

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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...

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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...

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Collections Highlights

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...

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