Tuesday, February 17, 2009

A Bit of Oberlin History!


Did you know that an inexpensive process to produce aluminum happened right here in Oberlin, Ohio?! That's right! It actually happened 123 years ago when Charles Martin Hall made his claim for the U.S. patent and next week on Feb. 23, the American Chemical Society's Division of the History of Chemistry will present Oberlin College and the Oberlin Heritage Center plaques in recognition of this achievement.


Hall graduated from Oberlin College in 1885 and then set up shop in his home and began work on the purification of aluminum. It was on that Feb. 23 date that he found the solvent that he needed and so he produced his first small globules of aluminum. When he was unable to find local funding, he moved his process to Pittsburgh and began the American Aluminum Company (ALCOA).


At the Oberlin Heritage Center, visitors can tour the Jewitt home and see the display of this very important aluminum discovery.

So when you make plans to come to Oberlin, be sure that you plan time to visit the Oberlin Heritage Center where you can learn all about our famous son. And plan a stay at Hallauer House B & B where you can view our aluminum tray collection and explore the history of the Civil War.

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