Oberlin Colony [Ohio]

This text offers an informative historical account of the settlement of the Oberlin Colony and the establishment of Oberlin College. The story of Oberlin begins in 1833, with the erection of a lone cabin in the Ohio wilderness by one Peter Pindar Pease. Pease came west at the urgings of John J. Shipherd, a former missionary. Shipherd hoped to establish a close-knit Christian community based around a school of higher learning, with instructors, pupils and townspeople all dedicated to intellectual improvement and an earnest, simple piety. Through hard work, the generosity of several wealthy industrialists and the aid of former faculty members from the nearby Lane Seminary, his vision was fulfilled and both town and university survive to this day. Important landmarks in Oberlin Colony's history are related up to 1933, with an emphasis on Oberlin's contributions to the Abolitionist cause. Oberlin College began accepting African American students as early as 1835 and became a renowned supporter of John Brown and a refuge for runaway slaves. A complete account is provided of the celebrated Oberlin-Wellington Rescue Case of 1858, in which fourteen Oberlin men were indicted for violating the Fugitive Slave Act by rescuing John Price from Federal custody. Only two of the fourteen were convicted; the remaining twelve dismissed council and refused to leave their cells for some eighty-four days in protest of the convictions and the hated Fugitive Slave Act. Material is included on the growth and development of Oberlin's businesses, the Civil War years, municipal improvements, the religious community, the temperance movement and the Anti-Saloon League, local industry, World War I, the Great Depression and much more. The names and accomplishments of notable Oberlin citizens are recorded throughout. The appendix expands on a number of subjects mentioned incidentally in the text such as the Oberlin Telegraph School, Oberlin publications and the Western Reserve, but also includes biographical sketches, anecdotes on many prominent citizens and numerous lists of the village's mayors, postmasters, businessmen, school officials and clergymen. The index to the original edition, including names and subjects, has been retained.