Oberlin, Ohio

Oberlin, Ohio
—  City  —
City of Oberlin
Location of Oberlin, Ohio
Coordinates: 41°17′18″N 82°13′0″W / 41.28833°N 82.216667°W / 41.28833; -82.216667Coordinates: 41°17′18″N 82°13′0″W / 41.28833°N 82.216667°W / 41.28833; -82.216667
Country	United States
State	Ohio
County	Lorain
Government
– Type	Council-manager
– City manager	Eric Norenberg
Area
– Total	4.4 sq mi (11.4 km2)
– Land	4.4 sq mi (11.3 km2)
– Water	0.0 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation[1]	814 ft (248 m)
Population (2000)
– Total	8,195
– Density	1,871.5/sq mi (722.6/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
– Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	44074
Area code(s)	440
FIPS code	39-57834[2]
GNIS feature ID	1049034[1]
Website	http://www.cityofoberlin.com/

Oberlin is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States, to the south and west of Cleveland. Oberlin is perhaps best known for being the home of Oberlin College, a liberal arts college and music conservatory with approximately 3,000 students. The town is also the birthplace of the Anti-Saloon League.

The second largest employer in Oberlin (after the eponymous College) is the Federal Aviation Administration, which houses an Air Route Traffic Control Center in the town. Cleveland Air Route Traffic Control Center is one of the most transitioned air traffic control centers in the country, and oversees the airspace over six states and a small part of Canada.

The population was 8,195 at the 2000 census.

History

Oberlin was founded in 1833 by two Presbyterian ministers, John Jay Shipherd and Philo P. Stewart. The pair had become friends while spending the summer of 1832 together in nearby Elyria and discovered a shared dissatisfaction with what they saw as the lack of strong Christian morals among the settlers of the American West. Their proposed solution was to create a religious community that would more closely adhere to Biblical commandments, along with a school for training Christian missionaries who would eventually spread out all over the American frontier. The two decided to name their community after Jean-Frédéric Oberlin (1740–1826), an Alsatian minister whose pedagogical achievements in a poor and remote area had greatly impressed and inspired them.

Shipherd and Stewart rode south from Elyria into the forests that covered the northern part of Ohio in search of a suitable location for their community. After a journey of approximately eight miles, they stopped to rest and pray in the shade of an elm tree along the forest, and agreed that this would be a good place to start their community. Legend has it that while they prayed, a hunter saw a family of bears climb down from a nearby tree. The bears saw the two men, but turned away without harming them. On hearing this story from the hunter, the two ministers took it to be a sign from God that they had selected the right place for their community and school.

Shipherd traveled back East and convinced the owner of the land to donate 500 acres (2.0 km²) of land for the school, and he also purchased an additional 5,000 acres (20 km²) for the town, at the cost of $1.50 per acre ($371/km²). While in that part of the country, he visited many of his friends and persuaded some to join in his adventure, and others to contribute money towards the construction of the community.

The motto of the new Oberlin Collegiate Institute was "Learning and Labor." In those days the words were taken quite literally: tuition at Oberlin was free, but students were expected to contribute by helping to build and sustain the community. This attracted a number of bright young people who would otherwise not have been able to afford tuition. Eventually this approach was deemed inefficient; the motto however, remains to this day.

On June 28, 1924, the worst flood in Oberlin history occurred on the same day that a tornado killed 62 people in Lorain. Afterward, the water was so deep that children swam in Tappan Square.^[3] Damage was caused to all of downtown Oberlin.^[4]

Abolitionism

Towards the middle of the 19th century, Oberlin became a major focus of the abolitionist movement in the United States. The town was conceived as an integrated community and blacks attended Oberlin College from 1835, when brothers Gideon Quarles and Charles Henry Langston were admitted. Their younger brother John Mercer Langston, who became the first black elected to the United States Congress from Virginia in 1888, also graduated from Oberlin. Many Oberlin College graduates were dedicated abolitionists, who traveled throughout the South working to help slaves escape to the north.

In 1834, in response to a series of slavery debates at Lane Theological Seminary, the trustees of the Cincinnati, Ohio school voted to prohibit antislavery agitation among its students and faculty. As a result, the "Lane Rebels", a group of about 50 students, trustee Asa Mahan, and professor John Morgan, left the school. Arthur Tappan, financial agent of the Oberlin Collegiate Institute, and co-founder John Shipherd, saw an opportunity to solve Oberlin's financial problems by inviting the rebels (including Mahan and Morgan) to come to Oberlin. The rebels agreed under three conditions: that Oberlin accept students regardless of color, that Oberlin respect students' freedom of speech, and that Oberlin not "interfere with the internal regulation of the school." In the fall of 1835, Oberlin opened a new theology school with Asa Mahan as President, Charles Finney as Professor of theology, and the Lane Rebels among the first theology students.^[5]

By 1852, the town of Oberlin was an active terminus on the underground railroad, and thousands had already passed through it on their way to freedom. This effort was assisted by an Ohio law that allowed fugitive slaves to apply for a writ of habeas corpus, which protected them from extradition back to the southern states from which they had escaped. In 1858, a newly elected Democratic state legislature repealed this law, making fugitives around Oberlin vulnerable to enforcement of the Federal Fugitive Slave Law, which allowed southern slave-catchers to target and extradite them back to the South.

This situation came to a head with the Oberlin-Wellington Rescue, a pivotal event described in Nat Brandt's book The Town That Started the Civil War. On September 13, 1858, a fugitive named John Price was captured by federal officials and held in neighboring Wellington, Ohio. A large group of Oberlin residents, consisting of both white and black townspeople, students, and faculty, set out for Wellington to release Price from captivity.

Oberlin "Rescuers" outside the Cuyahoga County jail. C.H. Langston is 7th from right in front row, with hat over his chest.

The men took Price back from the arresting US Marshal, and eventually smuggled him to Canada, but the authorities were not content to let the matter rest. United States President James Buchanan personally requested prosecution of the group (now referred to by sympathetic parties as "the Rescuers"), and 37 of them were indicted. Twelve of those were free blacks, including Charles H. Langston. State authorities arrested the US Marshal who had captured Price. In negotiation, the state agreed to free the arresters, and the federal officials agreed to free all but two of those indicted. Simeon M. Bushnell, a white man, and Charles H. Langston were both tried and convicted by an all-Democrat jury. Langston's eloquent speech against slavery and injustice persuaded the judge to give them light sentences. They appealed to the Ohio Supreme Court for a writ of habeas corpus, but on May 30, 1859, their petition was denied.

The political ferment resulting from the case led to a number of major protests throughout the northern part of the state, and an unprecedented boost to the anti-slavery Republican party in the 1860 State elections. The governor of Ohio wrote to the new Republican President Abraham Lincoln urging him to repeal the Fugitive Slave Law. Though in point of fact, Lincoln declined this request, his decision did little to prevent a number of Southern states from seceding, and America was soon embroiled in the Civil War.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.4 square miles (11 km²). 4.4 square miles (11 km²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (Less than 0.1 sq mi) of it (0.68%) is water.

Climate

Climate data for Oberlin, Ohio
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	74 (23)	76 (24)	83 (28)	89 (32)	93 (34)	104 (40)	102 (39)	100 (38)	100 (38)	92 (33)	80 (27)	77 (25)	104 (40)
Average high °F (°C)	32 (0)	35.7 (2.1)	45.8 (7.7)	58.0 (14.4)	69.7 (20.9)	78.6 (25.9)	82.7 (28.2)	80.8 (27.1)	74.2 (23.4)	62.6 (17.0)	49.1 (9.5)	37.1 (2.8)	58.9
Average low °F (°C)	15.6 (−9.1)	18.1 (−7.7)	26.7 (−2.9)	36.2 (2.3)	46.9 (8.3)	56.1 (13.4)	60.3 (15.7)	58.2 (14.6)	50.9 (10.5)	40.1 (4.5)	31.9 (−0.1)	21.7 (−5.7)	38.6
Record low °F (°C)	−23 (−31)	−18 (−28)	−15 (−26)	6 (−14)	19 (−7)	30 (−1)	38 (3)	32 (0)	25 (−4)	16 (−9)	2 (−17)	−18 (−28)	−23 (−31)
Precipitation inches (mm)	2.25 (57.2)	2.02 (51.3)	2.65 (67.3)	3.22 (81.8)	3.60 (91.4)	3.85 (97.8)	3.75 (95.3)	3.49 (88.6)	3.25 (82.6)	2.37 (60.2)	3.05 (77.5)	2.73 (69.3)	36.23 (920.2)
Snowfall inches (cm)	10.1 (25.7)	9.4 (23.9)	7.0 (17.8)	1.5 (3.8)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	2.6 (6.6)	8.6 (21.8)	39.2 (99.6)
Avg. precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)	12.3	10.1	11.6	12.6	11.8	11.0	9.5	9.6	9.7	10.3	11.7	12.8	133
Avg. snowy days (≥ 0.1 in)	6.0	4.8	3.1	0.8	0	0	0	0	0	0	1.6	5	21.3
Source: NOAA (normals, 1971–2000)[6]

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 8,195 people, 2,678 households, and 1,395 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,871.5 people per square mile (722.4/km²). There were 2,836 housing units at an average density of 647.7 per square mile (250.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 71.92% White, 18.55% African American, 0.49% Native American, 3.40% Asian, 0.17% Pacific Islander, 1.21% from other races, and 4.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.04% of the population.

There were 2,678 households out of which 21.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.5% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.9% were non-families. 35.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the city the population was spread out with 14.7% under the age of 18, 36.9% from 18 to 24, 16.4% from 25 to 44, 17.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females there were 77.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $41,094, and the median income for a family was $59,358. Males had a median income of $42,170 versus $27,308 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,704. About 6.7% of families and 19.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.6% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Oberlin is governed by a city manager and a seven-member council which is elected to two-year terms in a non-partisan election.

Transportation

Oberlin lies at the intersection of state routes 58 and 511. It is near US Highway 20. Oberlin also lies on a paved bicycle and pedestrian path, the North Coast Inland Trail, which travels southwest to Kipton and northeast to Elyria. The path is built on the former railroad right-of-way of the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway Southern Branch. Like many smaller municipalities across Ohio, Oberlin used to be served by railroads, but currently has no railroad service. An old station is visible along the bike path.

Lorain County Transit (LCT) provides one bus route to Oberlin. It is year-round, and travels to Elyria. As of June 1, 2009, LCT shut down route 33 due to funding shortfalls. Route 33 used to travel between Oberlin and the Cleveland Hopkins Airport, connecting with the rapid transit line to downtown Cleveland.^[7]

There is a car-sharing program available in Oberlin through CityWheels, offering another form of alternative transportation to area residents.

Notable residents

• Frederic de Forest Allen, (1844–1897), born in Oberlin, was a noted classical scholar^[8]
• Antoinette Brown Blackwell
• Charles Grandison Finney, (1792–1875), lived in Oberlin, minister of the gospel, professor and president of the Oberlin College (1851–1866).
• Charles Martin Hall, (1863 –1914), lived in Oberlin 1873-1914, co-discoverer of Hall-Héroult process and founder of Alcoa.
• Charles Henry Tyler Townsend (5 December 1863 Oberlin, Ohio – 17 March 1944 Itaquaquecetuba near São Paulo) was an eminent American entomologist and biologist.
• Albert Mussey Johnson, (1872–1948), born in Oberlin, eccentric multi-millionaire industrialist who is known best for constructing Scotty's Castle in what is now Death Valley National Park.
• Charles Henry Langston (1817–1892), one of two tried and convicted after Oberlin-Wellington Rescue, abolitionist and political activist in Ohio and Kansas.
• John Mercer Langston (1829–1899), abolitionist, activist, educator and politician - first dean of Howard University law school, first president of Virginia State University, in 1888 first black to be elected to the United States Congress from Virginia.
• John Miller
• Lucy Stone
• Abigail Iart Jones (1981-present) Artist

Sister city

Oberlin has one sister city, as designated by the Sister Cities International:

- Ile-Ife, Nigeria

See also

• Oberlin High School
• Oberlin Heritage Center
• Apollo Theater (Oberlin, Ohio)

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ 1924 flood in Oberlin, Ohio
4. ^ June 28, 1924: Lorain Tornado
5. ^ Records of the Graduate School of Theology (Group 11)
6. ^ "NCDC: U.S. Climate Normals". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. October 2011. http://cdo.ncdc.noaa.gov/climatenormals/clim20/oh/336196.pdf. 
7. ^  $300,000 in LCT cuts approved: Greater Cleveland RTA connection in Avon Lake to end. Retrieved on 2009-05-22.
8. ^ Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Marquis Who's Who. 1967. 

Further reading

• Brandt, Nat. The Town That Started the Civil War. Syracuse University Press, 1990. 315 p.
• Hart, Albert Bushnell, ed. The American Nation: a history from original sources. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1904-18.

External links

• City of Oberlin
• Oberlin Chamber of Commerce
• Electronic Oberlin Group
• History of the Oberlin-Wellington Rescue, compiled by Jacob R. Shipherd (from Library of Congress)
• Oberlin's Namesake, a multimedia presentation on J.F. Oberlin
• OBERLIN.COM Information hub for Oberlin, Ohio and surrounding areas