Skip to Main Content

McGuffey House and Museum

As a National Historic Landmark, we aim to collect, preserve, interpret, and exhibit materials relating to the life of William Holmes McGuffey, the McGuffey Eclectic Reader series, the history of Miami University, and 19th-century domestic life and architecture of southwest Ohio.

A Brief History...

The six-edition series increased in difficulty and was developed with the help of his brother Alexander Hamilton McGuffey. After the Civil War, the Readers were the basic schoolbooks in thirty-seven states and by 1920 sold an estimated 122 million copies, reshaping American public school curriculum and becoming one of the nation's most influential publications.

McGuffey lived at this site in a small frame house in 1828, and in 1833 built this brick home in the Federal vernacular style common to the area. The west wing was added about 1860 in the first of a series of renovations typical of nineteenth-century domestic architecture in the Miami Valley. From the 1850s to 1958 several Oxford families owned the property. At the Miami University Sesquicentennial in 1958, the University purchased the house from the Wallace P. Roudebush family, and it was endowed by Emma Gould Blocker to serve as a museum of University history in honor of McGuffey's legacy. The museum opened to the public in 1960 and the house was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966. It exhibits such unique artifacts as the octagonal table upon which the McGuffey Eclectic Reader was designed and the lectern McGuffey used as professor of Ancient Languages and Literature and University Librarian.

The McGuffey House

Learn more about the McGuffey House and the structural elements that make this home an excellent regional example of Federal vernacular architecture, a style generally popular in Ohio from 1790 to 1840. The Federal style is named for its association with the post-Colonial, early American republic. 

Miami and Oxford History

Bishop Woods

For many Miamians, Bishop Woods is iconic. It is seen, literally and figuratively, as the gateway to the University and its history is inextricably intertwined with that of the University. The woods is the last remnant on the Oxford Campus of a vast tract of forest that existed when Miami was founded in 1809.

George Washington Statue

George Washington is represented on the campus of Miami University in the form of a bronze statue made by William James Hubard of Richmond, Virginia. It is a copy of the original marble statue made by French sculptor, Jean Antoine Houdon.

Havighurst Special Collections

King Library houses The Walter Havighurst Special Collections, containing over 95,000 historical, literary, and cultural items. The collection includes the archives of Miami University, Western College, and Oxford College.

Oxford Museum Association

The Oxford Museum Association is a non-profit organization committed to the conservation and demonstration of nineteenth and early-twentieth century agricultural life in southwest Ohio.

Patterson Place Museum

The former home of the presidents of Western College houses the offices of the Western College Alumnae Association, Inc. and the Patterson Place Museum. The Museum collection includes paintings, furniture and other artifacts.

Smith Library of Regional History

The Smith Library of Regional History collects information on the history of Oxford, surrounding townships, all of Butler County, and other areas of the Miami River Valleys.

University Archives

The Miami University Archives chronicles University's history, administrative business, and teaching activities. Materials include manuscripts, publications, maps, photographs, memorabilia, plans, electronic records, and official records.

Warren Roudebush Reminisces

Warren “Bud” Roudebush (1914-1984) was one of three children born to Wallace P. and Dorothy T. Roudebush. Warren lived with his family in Oxford from 1914-1924 before moving into the McGuffey House on Spring Street in 1925. In 1982, his sister Jane Roudebush Bourne interviewed him about his memories of Miami and Oxford.

William Holmes McGuffey House and Museum

We aim to collect, preserve, interpret, and exhibit materials relating to the life of William Holmes McGuffey, the McGuffey Eclectic Reader series, the history of Miami University, and 19th-century domestic life and architecture of southwest Ohio.

Hours of Operation

Thursday - Saturday
1:00pm - 5:00pm

McGuffey House and Museum observes Miami University closings and other special events.