Symposium begins Saturday on John M. Langston

Oberlin is full of Langstons. There's Langston Middle School, Langston Hall and even a Langston Express, a snack bar in Kendal at Oberlin.

But organizers of this weekend's John Mercer Langston Symposium think people in Oberlin don't know enough about one of Oberlin's most common namesakes and prominent historic figures.

Langston was a mid-19th Century Oberlin resident. A ground-breaking African-American, Langston moved to Oberlin in 1834 and graduated from the College in 1849. According to Phyllis Hogan of the African American Historic Preservation Society, he was considered on par with Frederick Douglass during his time. "I think he got lost over time," Hogan said.

Langston had a remarkable set of firsts," said Associate Professor of History Carol Lasser. Lasser, one of the organizers of the day-long symposium, said Langston was the first black office-holder in the country - a clerk in Brownhelm Township, just northwest of Oberlin and the first black lawyer in Ohio. His list of accomplishments also includes being the head of the Freedman's Bureau, the first black Congressman from Virginia and the first dean of Howard University's Law School.

Saturday's symposium, called "John Mercer Langston and Oberlin's Antebellum African-American Heritage," will include a talk by Langston's biographers William and Amiee Cheek, remarks from President Nancy Dye and a speech by Connie Ponder, an Oberlin resident and direct descendent of Langston's wife.

Hogan said she hopes the event draws both people affiliated with the College and the town. "It is important to me as a lifelong resident of Oberlin that people in the town take part," she said. Hogan added that she is especially pleased that the Cheeks, Langston's biographers, will be visiting both Oberlin High School and Langston Middle School today to talk about Langston.

The afternoon will also include a talk by Geoffrey Blodgett, Danforth Professor of History, about Langston's home, which still stands on East College Street.

The Langston Home is currently owned by Oberlin Student Cooperative Association (OSCA) and is run as one of its two off-campus co-ops. Called Bliss House by students, the house is lived in by students.

Last spring, architect Lorri Sipes evaluated the house and wrote an assessment of the building's condition. She also estimated the cost of long-term and short-term restoration at $143,000 and $30,000, respectively.

The future of the home is in the hands of OSCA. "I think OSCA is increasingly aware of what a treasure it is," Lasser said. "I think they realize they have the responsibility of stewardship."

OSCA took part in the planning of Saturday's events.

Hogan said she hope the building will remain preserved for future generations. "I don't want it to fall apart," she said. "If you look around this town there are so few historic landmarks connected to African-Americans."

The event was organized by the departments of History and African-American Studies, OHIO, the College Archives, Residential Life, OSCA and the African-American Historic Preservation Society.

Langston: Graduated from Oberlin in 1849. (photo courtesy the College Archives)