Oberlin
Heritage Center Tours
The Oberlin Heritage Center
offers guided one hour and fifteen minute tours on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays
at 10:30 and 1:30 (closed all major holidays and the week between Christmas and
New Year's Day). The Oberlin Heritage Center tour features three beautifully preserved
historic buildings furnished with historic artifacts and antiques that tell the
story of life in Oberlin from its founding in 1833 to the early twentieth century.
Special handouts are available for children. The tour includes:
- The Monroe
House (1866), a brick Italianate-style house, 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.
He 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.
- The Little Red Schoolhouse
(1836) was the first public school in town. Restored as a pioneer-era one-room
school, it is a special favorite of school age visitors.
- The brick Victorian-style
Jewett House(1884)
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 the 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 wood shed experiment station.
Admission
FeesThere is a charge
of $6 per person ($5 for AAA members) for the guided tour of three buildings.
Free to children under the age of 19 who are accompanied by a parent.
Discounts for school groups and members of Time Travelers. Free to Oberlin
Heritage Center members.
Group ToursTours
for groups of ten or more are available by appointment and can be custom designed
to accommodate the interests and schedule of the group. Call for information
about Oberlin Heritage Center's group tour policies and fees.
Disabled
AccessThe tour involves
considerable walking and climbing stairs due to the nature of the historic buildings.
Directions
to the Oberlin Heritage Center
The Oberlin Heritage Center is located off South Professor Street in downtown
Oberlin. Free parking is available in the downtown area, off West Vine Street,
and on nearby streets. Tours begin at the Monroe House at 73½ S. Professor
St. which is located at the back of the Conservatory of Music parking lot, behind
the Oberlin Post Office.
For More
Information or Tour Reservations:
Go to http://www.oberlinheritage.org/visit.html;
contact the Oberlin Heritage Center at (440) 774-1700; or write to Oberlin Heritage
Center, 73 1/2 South Professor Street, P.O. Box 0455, Oberlin, Ohio 44074. E-mail:
tourinfo@oberlinheritage.org
