These were the photos that campers chose to have scanned to be digital history records.  Everyone has a history and it’s important to preserve and share yours too!  Take photos, keep a journal, write down names and dates, create a family tree, jot down your favorite things and places, and keep telling those family stories.

Restored Morgan Street Bridge Railings
Installed at the Oberlin Heritage Center

Last spring Oberlin Heritage Center volunteers, including Walter Edling, Bert Latran, Dick Holsworth, Charles Pope and George Clark rescued and refurbished the century-old iron railings that had been removed from the Morgan Street bridge over Plum Creek.  This was a huge undertaking which took several months and included some heavy lifting help from members of the Oberlin High School football team.   The refurbished railing has been installed along the Oberlin Heritage Center brick heritage trail, just south of the Jewett House at 73 S. Professor Street.  

We are nominating this project for a history award and are seeking letters of support and comments about why and how this project provided a real service to the community.   We’d love to hear from you.

We are also still searching for photographs that show the bridge at its original location.  If you have any and are willing to lend them to be scanned, please let us know! 

Andrew Stofan operated a photo studio in downtown Oberlin from the 1934 to 1974.  He took pictures of every Oberlin High School senior class during that time period except in 1936 and he documented countless weddings, graduations, and more.  Andy Stofan learned the trade from Oberlin photographer T.J. Rice who had begun taking pictures here in 1894 and whose studio was located upstairs in the building that formerly stood on today’s College bookstore site.   Andy Stofan took photos of every Oberlin College first year class standing on the steps of First Church and also took ID photos of each one for their “wolf” book – print version of today’s online Facebook or My Space. 

The Stofan studio was located first in the storefront where Dave’s Army Navy is now at 29 S. Main Street, and later in the old house that formerly stood at 49 E. College Street (the site of today’s Sustainable Community Associates’ building that is under construction.)  He and his family lived in town and he was active in many community groups and served on City Council for 4 terms in the 1950s, including 4 years as Chairman.  An extensive article on Andrew Stofan was published in the Oberlin News Tribune on April 1, 1976 and a copy of it is on file in the Oberlin Heritage Center’s Resource Center. 

Please share information or memories of Stofan and other photographers who have worked in our community over the years, and tell us about photo collections that have survived to tell our community’s history!

The Little Red Schoolhouse  was built in 1836 and first used in 1837.  It is Oberlin’s oldest building.

Tell us about your memories of going to school in Oberlin.  What did you do?  Who was the teacher?  How has the building changed?