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History · Oxford

Oxford dates to 1683, and 36% of its homes were built before 1940

3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 206 buildings. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1904 on, and the census since 1870.

1683founded
3on the National Register
36%homes built before 1940
5old photos & papers
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Oxford’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Oxford began

When was Oxford founded?

1683

Oxford dates its founding to 1683 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1870.

First census: 227 in 18702020 census: 611343 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1849.The full story ↓

What stands out about Oxford’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A historic districtThe Oxford Historic District takes in 206 historic buildings.Older than the countryEstablished in 1683, 93 years before the Declaration of Independence.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,243 in 1900; 611 people lived here in 2020.On the map since 19043 editions of the USGS map, 1904 to 1988. Watch Oxford change.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

3 listings protect 207 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
207
each building in a district counts
first listed
1985
S. C. DOBSON (log canoe)
Barnaby HouseOxford Historic DistrictS. C. DOBSON (log canoe)
BuildingsDistrictsStructures

Architectural styles listings

Colonial2
Georgian1
Early Republic1
Federal1
Greek Revival1
Gothic1
Barnaby HouseColonial
Oxford Historic DistrictColonial
All 3 listings
S. C. DOBSON (log canoe)Structure · listed 1985

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Timeline

Oxford, 1683 to 1904

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 17th century
  2. 1683
    FoundingOxford is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1830Born hereJonathan S. Willis is born here
  5. 1849Post officeThe Oxford post office opens
  6. 1899In the archiveFMIB 38900 Floats for Soft Crabs at
  7. 20th century
  8. 1900CensusPopulation peaks at 1,243
  9. 1904On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
People over time

Oxford, census by census

02004006008001,0001,20018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,243

Peaked at 1,243 in 1900; 611 people lived here in 2020.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Oxford’s Wikipedia page.

The story

How Oxford came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Oxford.

Read it all →

Oxford is one of the oldest towns in Maryland. While Oxford officially marks the year 1683 as its founding because in that year it was first named by the Maryland General Assembly as a seaport, the town began between 1666 and 1668 when 30 acres (120,000 m2) were laid out as a town called Oxford by William Stephens Jr.. By 1669 one of the first houses was built for Innkeeper Francis Armstrong (see Talbot County Land Records, A 1, f. 10/11).

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Oxford, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1890s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1890s2 items
FMIB 38900 Floats for Soft Crabs at1899FMIB 38900 Floats for Soft Crabs atFMIB 38930 Packing Live Hard Crabs in Barrels for Shipment at1899FMIB 38930 Packing Live Hard Crabs in Barrels for Shi…
1900s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Date unknown3 to date
JenaDate?JenaOtwell, Otwell RoadDate?Otwell, Otwell RoadThe HOD House, 512 Seth StreetDate?The HOD House, 512 Seth Street
Today6 recent
Details of the Reredos, Christ Church2015Details of the Reredos, Christ ChurchTred Avon River at Oxford MD12012Tred Avon River at Oxford MD1Oxford Maryland shops2010Oxford Maryland shopsOxford Charm2009Oxford CharmWaters Church, exterior2004Waters Church, exteriorMDMap-doton-Oxford2004MDMap-doton-Oxford
On the map

Oxford on the map, 1904 to 1988

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Oxford. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Oxford on the 1904 USGS mapOxford on the 1942 USGS mapOxford on the 1988 USGS map1904Oxford sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Oxford.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

FMIB 38900 Floats for Soft Crabs at
Retake this viewFMIB 38900 Floats for Soft Crabs at, 1899

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Oxford’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Places that used to be

Places now gone

Oxford’s post office has been open since 1849.

Gone or out of use
Oxford High Schoolschool

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Start Oxford’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Oxford’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo3 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewFMIB 38900 Floats for Soft Crabs at: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Oxford’s history

What year was Oxford founded?

In 1683, according to Wikidata. Oxford’s post office opened in 1849, and the census of 1870 counted 227 people here.

What is on the National Register in Oxford?

Three places: the Barnaby House (listed 1992), the Oxford Historic District (2005) and the S. C. DOBSON (log canoe) (1985).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (8), the Library of Congress (3), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.