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Welcome to the Oberlin Heritage Center! 

The mission of the Oberlin Heritage Center is to preserve and share Oberlin's unique heritage and to make our community a better place to live, learn, work, and visit.

Learn more about the Oberlin-Wellington Rescue

Tours

Oberlin has a powerful and nationally significant history that visitors can experience through guided tours at the Oberlin Heritage Center. Visitors will hear stories and see buildings associated with the founding of Oberlin, African-American history, the Underground Railroad, women's history, scientific discovery, and missionary, temperance, and other reform movements. Visitors will tour the 1836 Little Red Schoolhouse, the 1866 Monroe House, and the 1884 Jewett House. Our buildings may only be viewed with a guide so please see the tour options below. Here are directions to our site.

Guided tours of the Oberlin Heritage Center are offered three days a week at the following times:
Tuesday 10:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m.
Thursday 10:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m.
Saturday 10:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m.

Adult and Youth/School Group tours are arranged by appointment and can be tailored to fit your interests and needs.

Historic walking tours of Oberlin that center on the landscape and buildings near Tappan Square are available to groups by reservation.

Programs and Events

Our programs and events offer something for everyone!  During the summer, we offer “hands-on” day camps for children on topics ranging from history to architecture to world cultures; all through the year, we offer lectures, presentations, and workshops for audiences of all ages, with topics ranging from “visits” with historical figures to “do-it-yourself” historic home improvement help to presentations on historic pastimes or modes of transportation.  Most of our events are free; some require a minimal fee (with reduced rates for Oberlin Heritage Center members).

Research

We are conducting many research projects and are committed to making resources available to others.  We are researching the history and documenting the architecture of buildings throughout the community through the Ohio Historic Inventory project.  We maintain genealogy databases, a city directory database, a collection of oral histories, and a resource center library for in-house use (by appointment).  Here are some of our online resources.

Our museum store offers visitor information and many history-themed gifts and publications that will allow you to follow up on topics that interest you - so stop by and see us!

Please have a look around our website, and visit often!  New features are under development.  Feel free to contact us if you can’t find the information you’re looking for—we’re eager to help!