The Wilson Bruce Evans Home Historical Society – Historic Oberlin, OH home of Wilson Bruce and Sarah Jane Evans

About Evans HHS

The Wilson Bruce Evans Home Historical Society (aka Evans HHS) honors the legacy of Wilson Bruce Evans (1824-1898), Sarah Jane Leary Evans (1829-1898) and their descendants. The Society seeks to…
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What’s Happening at Evans HHS

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Our Funders

In addition to our members and private donors, we thank our institutional funders for their financial support: Nordson Corporation Foundation, Nord Family Foundation, Bill Long Foundation, National Underground Railroad Network…
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The Oberlin-Wellington Rescue

Adapted with permission from Elusive Utopia: The Struggle for Racial Equality in Oberlin, Ohio by Gary J. Kornblith and Carol Lasser (LSU Press, 2018) From the mid-1830s forward, Oberlin gained…
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Our Mission
The mission of the Wilson Bruce Evans Home Historical Society is to preserve and transform the home of Wilson Bruce Evans into a living monument that honors the legacy of…
Life & Times
African American Wilson Bruce Evans was born free in the Piedmont region of North Carolina in 1824. His mother was Fanny Evans, a free woman of color who owned property…
Our Funders
In addition to our members and private donors, we thank our institutional funders for their financial support: Nordson Corporation Foundation, Nord Family Foundation, Bill Long Foundation, National Underground Railroad Network…

Staff
Carol Lasser, Emerita Professor of History, Oberlin College, serves as Executive Director of the Wilson Bruce Evans Home Historical Society. Carol has lived in Oberlin since 1980. For nearly four…
Meet Our Board
The Board of Trustees is composed of descendants of Wilson Bruce Evans and Sarah Jane Leary Evans, members of the Oberlin’s African American genealogy and history community, members of Oberlin’s…
Become a Member or Renew
The Wilson Bruce Evans Home Historical Society offers several membership options, which are renewable yearly. You can also donate without becoming a member here. Tax Information: The Wilson Bruce Evans…

Recent Posts

Evans Home Historical Society to hold 6th Annual Meeting on Sat., Sept. 19

The Wilson Bruce Evans Home Historical Society is excited to welcome everyone to its 6th Annual Meeting to be held at the Oberlin Underground Railroad Center, 291 South Main Street…

08/21/2026
National Trust for Historic Preservation awards grant to Evans HHS

We are thrilled to announce that the Wilson Bruce Evans Home Historical Society has just been awarded a grant from the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Fund at the National Trust for…

07/02/2026
Good News: Update on the Evans House Project

05/17/2026
Video: Sneak Peek Presentation on Plans for Exhibits Inside the Evans House

Content developers Julie Min and Renee Romano of Romano & Min Projects presented a “virtual walk-through” of the displays and exhibits they envision for the Wilson Bruce Evans House once…

04/24/2026
Sneak Peek: Presentation on Plans for Exhibits Inside the Evans House, 6:30 pm, Wed., April 22

Content developers Julie Min and Renee Romano of Romano & Min Projects will present a “virtual walk-through” of the displays and exhibits they envision for the Wilson Bruce Evans House…

04/03/2026
Moving to Freedom – A Talk by Dr. Kelli Walsh

03/15/2026
Dr. Kelli Walsh to Speak on the Leary-Evans Family’s Journey from North Carolina to Oberlin

02/24/2026
Children’s Program at Oberlin Public Library on Sat., Feb. 7, 2026

01/24/2026
Online talk about “Lunsford Lane and the Allure of Oberlin” at 2 pm ET on Sun., Jan. 18, 2026

To access this program, click on the following link:https://zoom.us/j/99274525165?pwd=qB4YJmLcga66WObrMILhXERTrFIyZT.1

01/07/2026
2025 Evans HHS Annual Meeting

12/06/2025