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Photograph of Burrell-King House
Photograph by Nyttend, Public domain. Via Wikimedia Commons.

Burrell-King House

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. A historic map-sheet match is not published yet. The record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary.

From the record

“His present station indicates the estimate placed upon him by the trustees of the Teachers' Seminary, Andover, Mass., among whom are men best qualified to judge. Many applied for the superintendence of that seminary, but were all rejected in favor of Mr.”

Oberlin: the Colony and the College, 1833-1883 (1883). Machine-read text.

one of 113 National Register listings in Lorain County · listed in 1979 · category: Building · one of 2 National Historic Landmarks in Lorain County.

Sources: the county history on the Internet Archive · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

  • What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 2 buildingss as contributing to the listing.
  • Address. 317 E. College St., Oberlin, 44074
  • When was it listed? 1979-03-07
  • Category. building
  • Township. Oberlin city
  • Architectural style. Greek Revival architecture
  • National Register reference number. 79001886 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

The ground it stands on

17,501 words

The chapter on Oberlin City in Oberlin: the Colony and the College, 1833-1883, published 1883 names Oberlin. This is what it says, exactly as the scans read.

One of the young men especially, who left his studies at Oberlin to help Mr. Shiphcrd and his family on their journey, Albertus Green, from Lan- N.Y., proved himself a most enterprising and efficient business manager ; and the little community again and again assessed upon themselves the cost of some new extension or addition to the advantages of the college, thus proved their vitality, and secured the confidence of the people of the State. For many years they drew their teachers almost wholly from Oberlin, but at length they could call men from -crn colleges, and have now reached the stage where they find satisfactory professors among their own alumni.

Passage source: Oberlin: the Colony and the College, 1833-1883, published 1883.

A few families went out from Oberlin to Southa, in 1848, with the purpose of establishing a Christian settlement and Christian institutions in advance of the tide of emigration which turning in that direction. They first settled upon the Missouri bottom, a few miles north of the State line. Th< y had no minister, and only at rare intertching of any kind ; but they maintained re- 1 ings and a Sabbath-school, organized a ' the co-operation of

Passage source: Oberlin: the Colony and the College, 1833-1883, published 1883.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Oberlin City - 17,501 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.

Specimens collected near this property

12 of 1,779 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 1,779 specimens collected within 10 miles of Burrell-King House between 1852 and 1975: 909 Animalia, 611 Fungi, 223 Plantae, 15 Protozoa, 13 Chromista, 8 Unrecorded. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by A. E. Recksecker, A. E. Ricksecker, A. M. Evans and others. Each is a physical object with a catalogue number, and each entry opens the museum's record. This is what was collected and kept, not a survey of what lives here - nothing can be concluded from a species being absent.

Image SpeciesYear Collected by Where, as recorded
Specimen of Cantharellus minor PeckCantharellus minor Peck1896F.D. KelseyNear Oberlin
Specimen of Polyporus arcularius (Batsch) Fr.Polyporus arcularius (Batsch) Fr.1896Kelsey, Francis DuncanKipton
Specimen of Dryopteris spinulosa (O.F.Müll.) WattDryopteris spinulosa (O.F.Müll.) Watt1899Ricksecker, A.E.Wood 4 miles south of Oberlin.
A photograph of the species Fagus grandifolia, not of this specimenFagus grandifolia Ehrh.1852Drège
A photograph of the species Ammocrypta pellucida, not of this specimenAmmocrypta pellucida (Putnam, 1863)1853Baird, Spencer FullertonBlack River, below falls at Elyria, Ohio
A photograph of the species Etheostoma blennioides, not of this specimenEtheostoma blennioides Rafinesque, 18191853S. BairdBlack River Elgria Ohio (above falls)
A photograph of the species Etheostoma caeruleum, not of this specimenEtheostoma caeruleum Storer, 18451853S. BairdElyria, Ohio
A photograph of the species Etheostoma maculatum, not of this specimenEtheostoma maculatum Kirtland, 18401853S. BairdElyria, Ohio
A photograph of the species Accipiter cooperii, not of this specimenAccipiter cooperii (Bonaparte, 1828)1894Dawson, W. L. (William Leon)Oberlin, Lorain, Ohio, USA
Albugo candida (Pers. ex J.F.Gmel.) Roussel1894F.D. KelseyOberlin
Biscogniauxia atropunctata (Schwein.) Pouzar1894F. D. KelseyOberlin.
Botrychium virginianum subsp. virginianum1894Dick, W.M.Oberlin.

All 1,779 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Storms near this property

28 since 1997

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Oberlin, the town this property stands in, in 28 storm reports between 1997 and 2024: 17 thunderstorm wind, 7 hail, 4 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
August 2023Flash FloodOberlin$200,000Flash flooding reported in Oberlin and Pittsfield Township due to heavy rainfall. Several reports of flooded basements. OH-303 closed between Pitts Road and Quarry Road due to flash flooding. Radar estimated 2.5 to 3.5 inches of rainfall in a three hour period.
September 2016Thunderstorm WindOberlin$50,000Thunderstorm winds downed trees and large limbs in Oberlin. Scattered power outages were reported as well.
May 2004Thunderstorm WindOberlin$35,000A 61 mph thunderstorm wind gust was measured in Oberlin. Over a dozen trees were downed.
August 2003Thunderstorm WindOberlin$25,000Thunderstorm winds downed many trees in Oberlin.
July 2003Thunderstorm WindOberlin$25,000Thunderstorm winds downed many trees and large limbs across the county. The Oberlin, Kipton and Elyria areas were especially hard hit. A barn was blown down in Eaton Township. A car was crushed by a tree in Elyria. A peak wind gust of 54 mph was measured at the Lorain County Airport near Elyria.
June 2005HailOberlin$20,000Hail quarter to half dollar size was observed. A few vehicles sustained minor damage.
August 2016Thunderstorm WindOberlin$15,000Thunderstorm down burst winds downed several trees and large limbs in the Oberlin area.
July 2012Thunderstorm WindOberlin$15,000Thunderstorm winds were estimated to be at least 70 mph. A few trees and limbs were downed.
August 2011Thunderstorm WindOberlin$15,000Thunderstorm winds downed several trees.
May 2004Thunderstorm WindOberlin$15,000Thunderstorm winds downed several large trees and limbs.
June 1999Thunderstorm WindOberlin$15,000Large trees downed.
July 2012Thunderstorm WindOberlin$5,000Thunderstorm winds downed a tree and several large limbs along Indian Hollow Road.
April 2011HailOberlin$5,000Thunderstorms produced a swath of hail from Oberlin to Amhurst to Elyria. Hail ranged from penny size up to quarter size during this event.
June 2007Thunderstorm WindOberlin$5,000Several trees were reported down.
June 2005HailOberlin$5,000Nickel size hail was observed. Several other reports from the county also contained observations of penny size hail.
August 1997Thunderstorm WindOberlin$5,000Trees were downed.
July 2006Thunderstorm WindOberlin$3,000Several large limbs were reported down.
August 2017Thunderstorm WindOberlin$2,000Thunderstorms winds downed several large tree limbs.
May 2004Thunderstorm WindOberlin$2,000Thunderstorm winds downed a large tree west of Oberlin.
June 2008Thunderstorm WindOberlin$1,000A few large limbs were reported down.
May 2024Flash FloodOberlin-Six to eight inches of flowing water was reported across US-20 near the OH-511 interchange east of Oberlin. Radar estimated around 2 inches of rainfall in one hour at this location.
May 2011Flash FloodOberlin-Strong thunderstorms with rain, wind, and hail moved over portions of Lorain County. Rainfall rates approaching two inches per hour were reported with this storm. Flooding occurred in Oberlin with several roads impassable with water up to the hoods on cars.
April 2006HailOberlin-Penny size hail was observed.
April 2006HailOberlin-Penny size hail was observed.
April 2002Flash FloodOberlin-Heavy thunderstorm rains caused widespread street flooding in Oberlin. Water on some roads was over two feet in depth forcing several motorists to abandon their vehicles.
August 2000Thunderstorm WindOberlin-A 60 mph thunderstorm wind gust was measured.
June 1998HailOberlin-Large hail also fell at North Ridgeville (0.75"), Elyria (0.75") and Amherst (0.88").
August 1997HailOberlin-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Lorain County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

From the nomination file

1,843 words on record

When this property was proposed for the National Register, someone wrote the case for it: what the building is, and why it matters. That document is a federal record in the public domain. It is quoted below word for word, never summarised. The text was read off the scanned case file by machine, so the occasional stray character is the recogniser's and the 1970s typewriter's.

Description of the property

feature of the exterior is the massive entablature, which has partial returns on the front and has a of two small raund windows in the rear gable end of the main building. These windows are set at the extreme sides of the attic. an elaborate cornice with dentil molding, and ornate baluster railings around the base and on the top added to the east side of the house. Entrances have been cut through the east and west sides of the was changed in the remodeling around the turn of the century, making it more elaborate. siderablylarger than that of the house. Its low profile and placement behind the house serve to College Street. As a part of the project in which this new building was constructed, all offices were removed from the house and it was restored for use once again as a residence.

CONDITION UNEXPOSED MOVED 7DESCRIPTION DATE main portion was constructed, but is similar in style. An unusual feature of the house is the presence delicate dentil course beneath the cornice. The window openings are long and rectangular and have minimize its visual impact on the house and grounds, although this new building is visible from East though its Greek Revival heritage remains very much in evidence. The interior features ornamental gable end facing the front. It has three bays across the front and five bays along the sides. A major and shrubbery surround the house, which is set back from the road about two hundred feet, giving the woodwork around the door and window openings. The original Greek Revival character of the house bly the late nineteenth century.

To the east of this barn and directly behind the Burrell-King House constructed of brick but is smaller in scale than the central portion.

Read the complete 1,843-word case file.

Statement of significance

that had important associations with the history of Oberlin College. Jabez Lyman Burrell was the son of Jabez Burrell, who was among the first group of sett lers in nearby effect on its Greek Revival character, but they serve to make the house even more impressive, and residence, although the grounds contain a new building which is used as a child care facility. PERIOD 1900- COMMERCE ARCHEOLOGY-HISTORIC THEATER SIGNIFICANCE ART COMMUNICATIONS TRANSPORTATION LAW time he constructed this house, Burrell was a man of considerable independent wealth. In 1882 INDUSTRY RELIGION MILITARY SCIENCE INVENTION Sheffield Township. Jabez Lyman Burrell was born in western Massachusetts and came to Lorain County AGRICULTURE MUSIC POLITICS/GOVERNMENT College.

Burrell became one of the first trustees when Oberlin College was formed in 1833. By the King's long term as president, this house became the center for the official social life of the college. It is still known today by many townspeople as the President's House. The primary significance of this house lies in its association with two men who played important _EXPLORATION/SETTLEMENT are valid statements of early twentieth century neoclassicism. In recent years, the house has been owned by Henry Churchill King, who served as president of Oberlin College for twenty five years. roles in the history and development of Oberlin College. It was built in 1852 by Jabez Lyman Burrell, ENGINEERING carefully restored to its appearance when it was the residence of President King.

It still serves as a in 1831, where he met and became a disciple of John Jay Shipherd, who was later to co-found Oberlin Revival architecture, and is among a relatively small number of pre Civil War buildings still standing _1400-1499 - PHILOSOPHY - CONSERVATION son of one of Sheffield's first settlers and one of Oberlin College's first trustees.

Read the complete 1,843-word case file.

The whole case file for this property - 1,843 words, 9 pages, reproduced complete.

Quoted from the National Register nomination for reference 79001886, 9 pages, held by the National Archives in Record Group 79. See the catalogue record.

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Photograph PropertyDistance Listed
Langston, John Mercer, House0.2 miles1975
Westervelt Hall0.6 miles1974
Evans, Wilson Bruce, House0.6 miles1980
Christ Episcopal Church0.7 miles1978
Congregational Church of Christ0.7 miles1974
Oberlin Gas Lighting Company Gasholder House0.7 miles1998

Sources for this property

National Archives recordThe nomination case file for reference 79001886 in Record Group 79.
Lorain CountyAll 113 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

  • Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
  • Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
  • How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
  • Specimens. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), https://www.gbif.org/. Only records licensed CC0 or CC BY are used. Records licensed CC BY-NC are excluded because this site carries advertising. Images are checked individually and any whose licence is non-commercial, no-derivatives or unreadable is refused.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.