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Oberlin Heritage Center

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Oberlin Heritage Center

The Oberlin Heritage Center is an accredited complex of historic sites and a historical society and 1:30 p.m. (last entry at 2:30 p.m.)

The Oberlin Heritage Center is an accredited complex of historic sites, a historical society and historic preservation organization that offers educational programs, tours, kids activities and workshops. Mailing address: PO Box 0455, Oberlin, OH 44074

Guided tours every Thursday and Saturday at 10:30 a.m. Self-guided tours Tuesday-Saturday, 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. History Walks in warmer months
Group tours available year-round

06/17/2026

Flowing through downtown Oberlin and effectively splitting the city in two, Plum Creek is Oberlin’s waterway and a tributary of the Black River. Despite the name, the creek was not named for the fruit, and was originally named “Plumb Creek” in honor of early Oberlin mayor Samuel Plumb. The headwaters of Plum Creek lie in Pittsfield Township, about two miles south and east of Kipton.

Plum Creek was Oberlin’s first source of water and was crucial in early milling and industry. As the city grew, the creek’s polluted waters led to typhoid outbreaks and other waterborne illnesses. This, along with a devastating fire, led to the establishment of the Morgan Street Water Works in 1887. Plum Creek, however, still remained unsightly.

In 1903, the civic committee of the Oberlin Women’s Club set out to improve the area, and to “…work till…art combined with nature shall have rendered our town the most beautiful and attractive spot in the commonwealth.” The Village Improvement Society was founded that same year, a precursor to today’s Oberlin Historical and Improvement Organization (O.H.I.O), with notable Oberlin professor Adelia Field Johnston playing a crucial role as head of the Society. Beginning with clean-up measures spurred by Johnston, the Society was able to purchase the first pieces of land along Plum Creek in 1915 with funds from Charles Martin Hall. The Society would buy parcels of land, and then deed the land to the city. By 1931, the Society’s goal was to purchase enough land to have “both sides of the creek made clean and beautiful.” Most of the land that was outlined in the Society’s original plan was purchased in the 1930s and 1940s, so that by 1964 when the Village Improvement Society merged with the Oberlin Historical Society to become O.H.I.O., Professor Johnston’s vision had become a reality.

Today in Oberlin, Plum Creek’s banks are lined with parks. Each of these parks has developed individually, as city resources have changed with the decades. More information about Oberlin’s parks may be found on the city’s Recreation Department website. https://cityofoberlin.com/city-government/departments/recreation/parks/

06/12/2026

Dedicated in the fall of 1932, Wright Memorial Park lies along Plum Creek on the southeast side of Oberlin. It is currently 1.9 acres and is bordered by West Vine St. in the North and S. Main St. in the East. Wright Memorial Park also contains both the Johnston Path and Soldier’s Monument/War Memorial.

The park is named after Clarence J. Wright, an Oberlin grocer and businessman, who was much beloved by the town when he died in April 1932. Held in high esteem by many Oberlinians, the park was dedicated later that fall. Wright was heavily active in Oberlin community organizations such as the Masons, Business Men’s Club, and First Church.

Across Plum Creek in Wright Memorial Park lies the Soldier’s Monument/War Memorial. This brick wall contains several marble tablets with inscriptions, as well as two plaques at either end of the wall. These tablets and plaques bear the names of Oberlinians who fought for the United States since the Civil War through Vietnam. The marble tablets were originally part of a Neo-Gothic memorial located at the corner of Professor and College streets, where the Conservatory is today. This memorial was dedicated in 1870, but was deconstructed in 1935 after it had fallen into disrepair and patriotic sentiments had reached a low. In 1943, the tablets were placed into the brick memorial wall, and the memorial was rededicated. In later years, the plaques honoring Oberlinians who had fought in both World War One and World War Two, as well as the Korean and Vietnam War were added to the memorial. The monument has undergone several restorations and rededications since.

Another feature running through Wright Memorial Park is the Johnston Path. This path was built in 1930, and honors Adelia Field Johnston (1837-1910), Oberlin College’s first female faculty member. Johnston led efforts to clean up Plum Creek at the turn of the 20th Century and was one of the founders of the Oberlin Village Improvement Society, a precursor to the Oberlin Historical and Improvement Organization (O.H.I.O). The path runs from Morgan and Professor streets, before running through Wright Memorial Park. It was upgraded in 2022.

06/10/2026

Juneteenth
Saturday, June 13 from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Come to this free community event hosted by the Juneteenth Oberlin Executive Board, which is proud to present this year’s annual Juneteenth Celebration Festival. Events begin with a fashion show on Friday the 12th from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., all day festivities on Saturday the 13th from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and memorial services on Saturday evening from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Saturday activities include an opening prayer, a reading of the Emancipation Proclamation, storytelling, dancing, music, children’s activities, food vendors, and merchants.

For full information about this event, visit https://www.juneteenthoberlin.org/

Location: George A. Abram Pavilion and the lawn of the Oberlin Underground Railroad Center, 273 South Main Street, Oberlin. Memorial services at Westwood Cemetery, 429 Morgan Street, Oberlin.

06/05/2026

The Oberlin Arboretum, also known as the “Arb,” is an approximately sixty-acre preserve of woods south of Morgan Street and west of South Professor. Founded in 1892, the Arb began life when Oberlin College purchased as a seventeen-acre plot of woods known as the “Ladies’ Grove,” in the hopes to turn the virgin woods into a nature preserve. Famous OC alum Charles Martin Hall purchased seventy-seven acres of property surrounding the new preserve, with the hopes establishing a full-fledged arboretum. One of these properties included the Rebecca A. Johnson House. He gave these seventy-seven acres to OC in 1914, shortly before his death. In his will, Hall left a fund for the upkeep of the land and his wishes for the future of the arboretum. He hoped that the land would be free of buildings and athletic fields, and that it would be developed as a sanctuary for trees and birds with intent that both Oberlin College and the city benefit from it. This has not been without controversy, as the College has leased land to the Oberlin Golf Club which was originally included in Hall’s will. Even so, the Arb remains a relaxing destination in the south of Oberlin.

Today, the Arb encompasses about sixty acres of land and is home to a variety of plant and animal life. It contains trails, bridges, creeks and a reservoir, which is split into two lakes. The College’s academics programs, such as biology, photography, and environmental studies, take advantage of the Arb’s resources to perform field lessons and collect data. Aside from walking the trails and looking at the trees, other activities to do in the Arb include fishing in the reservoirs, bird watching, and sledding- which is a popular pastime in the winter. The property is currently listed on the Ohio Historic Inventory list.

06/02/2026

Freedom’s Friends: Abolition & the Underground Railroad History Walk
June 6, 13, 20, & 27 at 11:00 a.m.
Register Here: https://oberlinheritagecenter.org/evnt/freedoms-friends-abolition-the-underground-railroad-history-walk-3/

“Oberlin is perhaps the most important station along the whole line of the Underground Railway. It has rendered the most important services to freedom. It is second only to Canada as an asylum for the hunted fugitive.” Hear stories about Oberlin’s most famous freedom seekers and people known to have helped them make their way to freedom on this 90-minute history walk.

This tour is held every Saturday in June at 11:00 a.m. Advanced registration recommended; free to OHC members.

Starting Location: Near the front steps of First Church, U.C.C. (106 N. Main St., Oberlin)

05/29/2026

Located in front of the Allen Memorial Art Museum, this white Carrera marble and red porphyry fountain stands in memory of Katharine Wright Haskell. Erected in 1931 by Wright Haskell’s husband, Henry Haskell, this fountain is an exact replica of the “Boy Holding Dolphin” fountain located in the courtyard of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, Italy. After years of weathering, the fountain was restored in 2007.

The younger sister of her famous brothers, Orville and Wilbur, Katharine Wright Haskell was a staunch advocate of her brothers’ flight efforts and involved with Oberlin College. She graduated from the College in 1898 with a teaching degree, and later was the second woman elected to the College’s Board of Trustees. During this time, her friendship with her former math tutor blossomed into a romance. Katharine Wright married Henry Haskell thirty years after her graduation from Oberlin. At this time, Henry Haskell was the editor and publisher of the Kansas City Star. Katharine Wright Haskell passed away following a battle with pneumonia in 1929.

In 1940, the Oberlin Review wrote regarding the fountain, “It would be almost impossible to imagine a memorial which could more closely resemble the spirit to which it was dedicated, and would be therefore, more appropriate. A fountain seems to be always happy. It sparkles and laughs, and seems continually filled with a joy that is irrepressible and an enthusiasm that is inexhaustible. Katharine Wright Haskell was like that. It is impossible to be near a fountain and not catch some of its spontaneous gaiety- not feel your spirits rise in spite of yourself. Katharine Wright Haskell was like that, too. You could not be near her and not feel happier for being there. It is only her memory that has been ‘lodged in marble and in bronze.’ Her spirit, like the spirit of the fountain is untrammeled and lives forever in its sparkling waters.”

05/22/2026

Alonzo Pease was born in Massachusetts in 1820, to Hiram and Lydia Pease. The family would move to Ohio, following in the footsteps of Hiram’s brother, Peter Pindar Pease. By 1831, the family was living in Lorain County. At the age of 12, Alonzo Pease was helping his father and uncle clear land for the new Oberlin colony, including the construction of the first buildings.

Attending Oberlin Preparatory School from 1840-1841, Pease only studied occasionally as he was more interested in pursuing his love of painting. Being self-taught, Pease spent the next twenty years of his life developing his skills as an artist. He spent time working in various capacities, lent his skills to the colorization of photographs. His portraits garnered the most praise out of all his work. Portrait commissions included Oberlin College presidents Charles Grandison Finney, Asa Mahan, and James Harris Fairchild.

In the 1850’s Pease joined the Ohio Militia and became commander of a company in Lorain County. At the start of the Civil War, Pease formed a military unit. In September 1861, Pease and 52 men headed to Cleveland’s Camp Wood. From there, the newly formed “Lorain Guards” became Company H of the 41st Ohio Volunteer Infantry. With Pease elected Captain, Company H soon found itself in Kentucky. The abolitionist sentiments of Pease and many of his men were challenged when two freedom seekers entered the 41st’s camp and Pease was directed to hand them over. He did so, but the event stuck with him, and by early 1862, he had resigned. Pease’s story for resigning struck a chord with Oberlinians, but there is evidence to suggest that Pease was not fit for military life, nor for being an officer.

After the war, Pease continued painting. He died in 1881 and is buried in Westwood Cemetery with a grave marker made of granite, depicting a large vase with flowers and leaves. An artist’s palette is carved into the base. His obituary reads, “Alonzo was a painter from his youth…All efforts to make a student of him were in vain.”

05/21/2026

OHC is once again a participating member of the Blue Star Museums program in 2026. The program encourages museums, zoos, botanical gardens, historic houses, etc. to offer free admission to active-duty military personnel and up to five family members. There are over 2,000 organizations that participate annually. The programlaunched nationally on Armed Forces Day, May 16 and will run through Labor Day, September 7. Thanks to a suggestion from an OHC member, we are delighted to also welcome active members of the Foreign Service and their families.

OHC also continues to be one of the over 1,600 participating museums in the Museums for All initiative, providing free admission for households that receive SNAP benefits. This is a year-round program.

Visitors can take advantage of these programs and register for any of our tours online. https://book.peek.com/s/4e04bde7-a5f4-4cea-b35b-2368aaeb2d75/REJDR

05/20/2026

Located at 534 Morgan St. across from the Oberlin Golf Club, the Weltzheimer/Johnson House is a Frank Lloyd Wright Usonian House commissioned by the Weltzheimer Family in 1947, and completed in 1949. The house underwent several alterations after the Weltztheimers sold the home. In 1968, Oberlin College art professor Ellen H. Johnson bought the house, and together with her students and local contractors, set about restoring the home to Wright’s original design. This required several stages of conservation. Afterwards, Professor Johnson bequeathed the house to the College, and following her death in 1992, control of the house passed to the Allen Memorial Art Museum and the College’s Art Department.

The Weltzheimer/Johnson House is an excellent example of Wright’s Usonian design. It was Wright’s first Usonian house in Ohio and is one of the few examples in the nation that are open to the public. After the Second World War, there was a demand for beautiful and affordable middle-class housing; and Wright’s Usonian architecture reflects this. The Weltzheimer/Johnson House therefore is very much a typical Usonian house, and contains the style’s notable characteristics: a flowing floor plan with distinct public/private wings; a slab floor with grid pattern and radiant heat; a flat roof and cantilevered carport; a centralized masonry fireplace; board-and-batten ceilings with “sandwich” walls; built-in furniture; and tall glass windows and doors that open to the landscape. Interestingly, the Weltzheimer/Johnson House contains elements that are unusual for the Usonian architectural style. The house’s cornice is ornamented by wooden balls, and the perforated board windows utilize a curvilinear design. Finally, redwood is used throughout the interior and exterior, as opposed to the traditional cypress. Today, it can be toured by appointment through the Allen’s website. https://amam.oberlin.edu/flw-house

05/19/2026

Commencement Weekend Tour Schedule: https://oberlinheritagecenter.org/evnt/oberlin-college-commencement-reunion-special-weekend-tours/
The Oberlin Heritage Center is delighted to offer a slate of specially-scheduled tours and history walks in celebration of Oberlin College’s Commencement this weekend. Tours are open to the public as well as Commencement Weekend attendees. All guided tours require advance registration. OHC will have extended open hours for the weekend.

Friday, May 22
-10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.: Self-Guided Tours of the Monroe House
-3:00 - 4:00 p.m.: Guided Tour of the Jewett House by F***y Jewett

Saturday, May 23
-10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.: Self-Guided Tours of the Monroe House
-10:00 - 11:30 a.m.: Freedom’s Friends: Abolition & the Underground Railroad History Walk
-1:30 - 3:00 p.m.: Architecture History Walk
-3:30 - 5:00 p.m.: Civil War to Civil Rights History Walk

Sunday, May 24
-10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.: Self-Guided Tours of the Monroe House
-10:00 - 11:15 a.m.: One Step More: Oberlin Women’s History Walk
-2:00 - 3:30 p.m.: Freedom’s Friends: Abolition & the Underground Railroad History Walk

Address

73 1/2 South Professor Street
Oberlin, OH
44074

Opening Hours

Tuesday	10am - 3pm
Wednesday	10am - 3pm
Thursday	10am - 3pm
Friday	10am - 3pm
Saturday	10am - 3pm

Website

http://www.oberlinheritagecenter.org/

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