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Self-Guided Tours
of Oberlin

Award-winning Biking Tour of Historic Oberlin
Click here to download our biking tour of historic Oberlin. The tour is designed for bikers, but can also be followed on foot or by car. It takes you to historic sites such as First Church, the John Mercer Langston House, the Soldier's Monument, Westwood Cemetery, and the Oberlin Heritage Center. In 2003, the tour received a History Outreach Excellence Award from the Ohio Association of Historical Societies and Museums.

Walking Tour of Oberlin
A wonderful introduction to the history of Oberlin's downtown can be found in a downloadable version of "A Walking Tour of Oberlin's Downtown Historic District," published by the City of Oberlin Historic Preservation Commission . This self-guided tour will lead you through Oberlin's downtown business district, designated a National Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register.

"Charles Martin Hall and Oberlin's Aluminum Connection"
One of Oberlin's most famous alumni is Charles Martin Hall, who graduated with the class of 1885. Hall was determined to find a cheap and efficient way to produce aluminum--which at the time was a semi-precious metal that cost as much per pound as gold because a cheap manner of refining it had not been invented. Within a year of his graduation, helped by his sister Julia (also an OC alumna), Hall perfected his electrolytic process, which reduced the cost of aluminum production by 90%. Hall then founded ALCOA, and the rest, as they say, is history.