Oberlin in Lorain County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Charles M. Hall and Frank M. Jewett
September 13, 2016
1. Charles M. Hall and Frank M. Jewett Marker
Aluminum pioneer Charles Martin Hall was born in 1863 in Thompson, Ohio (Geauga County), and moved with his family to Oberlin in 1873. Hall graduated from Oberlin College in 1885, studying chemistry under Professor Frank Fanning Jewett (1844-1926). Jewett, who lived in this house from 1884 to 1923, encouraged Hall's interest in chemistry and aluminum, then a semi-precious metal. Hall discovered an electrochemical reduction process for producing metallic aluminum from aluminum oxide dissolved in molten cryolite in his woodshed laboratory at his family's home at 64 East College Street on February 23, 1886. This process, the culmination of research with Jewett, became the basis for the aluminum industry in America. In 1888 Hall co-founded the Pittsburgh Reduction Company, later the Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA). Upon his death in 1914, Hall left one-third of his estate to Oberlin College.
Erected 2003 by Ohio Bicentennial Commission, Oberlin Heritage Center/O.H.I.O., The International Paper Company Foundation and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 21-47.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Science & Medicine.
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Location. 41° 17.385′ N, 82° 13.205′ W. Marker is in Oberlin, Ohio, in Lorain County. Marker is on South Professor Street, 0.1 miles south of West College Street, on the left when traveling south. The marker is near the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music and in front of the Oberlin Heritage Center. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 73 South Professor Street, Oberlin OH 44074, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Welcome to Oberlin Heritage Center (within shouting distance of this marker); Oberlin College and Community / Abolitionism in Oberlin (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Willard Van Orman Quine (approx. 0.2 miles away); Downtown Oberlin Historic District (approx. 0.2 miles away); Oberlin and the Underground Railroad (approx. 0.4 miles away); Antoinette Brown Blackwell and First Church in Oberlin (approx. 0.4 miles away); Westwood Cemetery (approx. 0.7 miles away); The Burrell-King House (approx. ¾ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Oberlin.
September 13, 2016
2. Charles M. Hall and Frank M. Jewett Marker
September 13, 2016
3. Charles M. Hall and Frank M. Jewett Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on June 6, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 15, 2016. This page has been viewed 380 times since then and 28 times this year. Last updated on June 2, 2023. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 15, 2016. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
