Tappan Square & Downtown Oberlin

Tappan Square is the center of the city of Oberlin and Oberlin College. You might find concerts happening at the bandstand, the annual Juneteenth celebration, or students eating and enjoying this central green space in Tappan Square. It connects to downtown Oberlin, where you'll find the many shops, restaurants, and businesses of the city of Oberlin.

Media Gallery

A photo of the sculpture of the Underground Railroad, a rail angled up into the air which is buried.
A group of students sit on the steps of the Tappan Square arch, a large semicircle sandstone structure.
Four photos of Tappan Square rocks, each with a different message: 1: Welcome New Obies 2: Indigenous People's Day 3: We Love You Grandpa 4: Every First Year Student Has a Pal
Two students sit in a hammock.
Carnegie Library can be seen here through the trees of Tappan Square.
A white squirrel is under a tree.
People sit at different tables in a dark wood, well-lit coffee shop.
A crowd stands on either side of the street while the colorful and lively Big Parade makes its way through downtown Oberlin.
A student dances in a white dress in front of a small crowd of sitting students.
The middle of Tappan Square is covered by bright red, yellow, and orange leaves,
Pictured is a hanging bench swing from a large tree in Tappan, covered in snow in the winter.
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📍 Oberlin's Legacy

The college and community thrive on progressive causes and social justice initiatives. Oberlin College was the first undergraduate institution to adopt a race-blind admissions policy in 1835, and the first to educate women in a co-educational program beginning in 1837. This legacy of progressive policies related to access and inclusion continues today.

A Community of Firsts

In 1844, George B. Vashon became the first Black student to earn a bachelor’s degree from Oberlin. In 1862, Mary Jane Patterson earned a BA degree in education, becoming the first Black woman to earn a degree from an American college. Around this time, Oberlin was a key stop along the Underground Railroad and by the year 1900, one third of all Black college graduates had earned their degrees at Oberlin. Oberlin is proud of its history and dedication to social and racial justice. Progressive causes and lively debates still thrive in both the city of Oberlin as well as the college.

Oberlin’s Wider Community

Our motto is “Learning and Labor.” In the early days of Oberlin, tuition was free because students were expected to contribute by helping to build and sustain the community. The concept attracted many bright young people who would otherwise not have been able to afford tuition. Eventually this approach was discontinued, although the motto remained, and today we see that same sense of responsibility to the greater Oberlin community. You will find students participating in community service in town, working at and frequenting local businesses, and participating in lots of community events. One of the most popular traditions is The Big Parade, a community arts event that brings together residents of all ages. The parade and festival features music, dancing, costumes, bikes, and floats, all to represent the various facets and groups of Oberlin!

Obies Speak Up

Oberlin students are outspoken about current issues and challenges facing the world. Tappan Square is often the site for demonstrations, vigils, teach-ins, and other conversations that are organized on campus. The rocks located in Tappan Square are covered in layers of paint with celebratory messages, announcements, memorials, congratulations, and political activism. Anyone is welcome to paint a Tappan Square rock, and it has become a popular tradition over the decades.

Oberlin's Land Acknowledgement

There is much to celebrate about this incredible place called Oberlin, but doing so requires us to reflect not only on the long history of our institution but also on the land on which it currently resides. Although Oberlin marks the founding of the town and college in 1833, the history of Oberlin begins much earlier. The land of our institution is the traditional homelands of the Erie, Wyandotte, Ottawa, Miami, Potawatomi, Shawnee, Lenape (Delaware), and other Great Lakes tribes (Chippewa, Kickapoo, Wea, Pinakahsaw, and Kaskaskia). The only way we can in good conscience celebrate Oberlin’s values is to first acknowledge the indigenous peoples whose stories and role in our land’s history have long been ignored. While this single gesture is not enough, we use this as a step towards bringing visibility and increasing engagement with all of the histories and communities that have led us to the Oberlin community we cherish today.

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