John Mercer Langston House, National Historic Landmark residence in Oberlin, United States
The John Mercer Langston House is a two-story frame building with clapboard siding in Oberlin, featuring a gabled roof and a porch added in the 20th century. The structure retains its original elements despite modifications made to the exterior porch and supporting features over time.
The house belonged to Langston from 1856 to 1871, during which he became Ohio's first African American lawyer and later served as a U.S. Congressman. These years coincided with the most crucial decades of the struggle against slavery in America.
This house served as a place where Langston conducted abolitionist work and aided people escaping slavery. Visitors can sense how this home became a center of resistance against the slave system.
The house sits on East College Avenue across from Eastwood School and is easy to locate in Oberlin. Visitors should plan time to view the exterior and explore the surrounding neighborhood to understand its historical setting.
In January 1863, Langston publicly read the Emancipation Proclamation to Oberlin residents from this house. This moment directly connected the community to Lincoln's declaration that freed millions of enslaved people.
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