The William Holmes McGuffey House is one of Oxford's most historically significant sites. McGuffey was a professor of ancient languages at Miami University from 1826 and later chair of moral philosophy. During his time here he wrote the first four of his celebrated Eclectic Readers — graded elementary textbooks that became the most widely used educational materials in 19th-century America.
The house itself is a modest two-storey structure typical of the era. It operates as a museum maintained by Miami University, with period furnishings and exhibits on McGuffey's life and the remarkable cultural reach of his readers. A single-sentence summary: a country schoolteacher who happened to be in Oxford, Ohio in the 1830s shaped how millions of Americans learned to read.
The museum is free and open by appointment; contact Miami University's libraries for current access information.