McGuffey House & Museum

McGuffey House & Museum Take a guided tour about the life of William H. McGuffey, his Eclectic Readers, and 19th century America. Open Thur-Sat 1-5 PM

William Holmes McGuffey (1800-1873) was a Miami University faculty member in 1836 when he compiled the first edition of the McGuffey Eclectic Reader in this house. His Reader taught lessons in reading, spelling, and civic education by using memorable stories of honesty, hard work, thrift, personal respect, and moral and ethical standards alongside illustrative selections from literary works. The s

ix-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. Text from William Holmes McGuffey House Ohio Historical Marker, erected 2002.

03/20/2026

The museum will be closed March 27-29 for Spring Break! Enjoy your vacation!

02/06/2026

The museum will be closed again on Saturday, February 7, due to heating problems.

We hope to have this fixed soon!

02/06/2026

Due to unforseen problems with the heating system, the Museum will be closed Friday, February 6. Watch this space for updates.

12/13/2025

Due to inclement weather, the museum will be closed today, Saturday, December 13. We will reopen at 1pm Thursday, 12/18.

$5 or $5000. Any amount can make you a Friend of McGuffey during
08/20/2025

$5 or $5000. Any amount can make you a Friend of McGuffey during

Giving to our Annual Fund is one of the best ways to support the McGuffey House and Museum. A one time or sustaining donation enables us to make immediate use of your support and throughout the year. This Annual Fund shall be used for the most pressing needs of the McGuffey House and Museum, includi...

Check out our newest blog post!
08/07/2025

Check out our newest blog post!

McGuffey’s First Weeks at Miami University August 7, 2025 lorenzj8 Archives, History, Uncategorized 0 In the late fall of 1826, William Holmes McGuffey took up his post as professor of Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, and Ex-officio Librarian. What was that first semester like for this young man who had ...

Courtesy of r/AskReddit, what do you think?
07/10/2025

Courtesy of r/AskReddit, what do you think?

Celebrating our nations history today. Happy birthday, America! 🎆
07/04/2025

Celebrating our nations history today. Happy birthday, America! 🎆

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!
03/17/2025

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!

03/15/2025

McGuffey House & Museum will be closed today. Please visit us Thursday, Friday, or Saturday next week, 1-5.

Today in History!On March 13th, 1781, the planet Uranus was discovered by English astronomer William Herschel. As he obs...
03/13/2025

Today in History!

On March 13th, 1781, the planet Uranus was discovered by English astronomer William Herschel. As he observed the seventh planet from the Sun, he first described it as“a curious either nebulous star or perhaps a comet.”

Address

Oxford, OH
45056

Opening Hours

Thursday 1pm - 5pm
Friday 1pm - 5pm
Saturday 1pm - 5pm

Telephone

(513) 529-8380

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when McGuffey House & Museum posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Museum

Send a message to McGuffey House & Museum:

Shortcuts

Share

Category