Visit
Hours of Operation:
Tues-Sat, 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
The Monroe House serves as the Oberlin Heritage Center’s office and museum but it is located in the center of a city block and can be difficult to locate. Please visit our Find Us page for detailed directions and accessibility information.
Our Historic Buildings

The Monroe House (1866)
This brick Italianate-style house is the starting point for your tour. It was originally the home of Civil War General Giles W. Shurtleff, the leader of the first African-American regiment from Ohio to serve in the Civil War. The house was subsequently the long-time home of James Monroe and his wife, Julia Finney Monroe. Mr. Monroe was an important abolitionist, advocate of voting rights for African Americans, and friend of Frederick Douglass. Monroe taught at Oberlin College, served as the U.S. Consul to Brazil, and was a five-term U.S. congressman. Mrs. Monroe was the daughter of Charles Finney, the great religious leader of Oberlin College.
To See This House: Guided Tour or Self-Guided Tour

The Little Red Schoolhouse (1836/1837)
This was the first public school in town and is Oberlin’s oldest building. In defiance of Ohio’s “Black Laws”, the school was interracial from its inception. Sarah Margru Kinson, who as a young girl was on board the infamous Amistad slave-trading ship, returned later to America and was among the first African Americans to attend school in Oberlin. Restored as a pioneer-era one-room school, it is a special favorite of school-age visitors.
To See The Schoolhouse: Guided Tour
The Little Red Schoolhouse (1836/1837)
This was the first public school in town and is Oberlin’s oldest building. In defiance of Ohio’s “Black Laws”, the school was interracial from its inception. Sarah Margru Kinson, who as a young girl was on board the infamous Amistad slave-trading ship, returned later to America and was among the first African Americans to attend school in Oberlin. Restored as a pioneer-era one-room school, it is a special favorite of school-age visitors.
To See The Schoolhouse: Guided Tour


The Jewett House (1884)
This was the home of Oberlin College chemistry professor Frank Fanning Jewett, and his wife Frances Gulick Jewett, author of books on public health and hygiene. The Jewetts and subsequent owners, the Hubbards, rented rooms to male Oberlin College students who slept in the attic and studied on the second floor. This wonderfully intact house and its simple wood frame barn are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. On display in the house is an exhibit on “Aluminum: The Oberlin Connection” that includes a recreation of Charles Martin Hall’s 1886 woodshed experiment.
To See This House: Guided Tour