Among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns · #19 of 758 in New York. What drives it
4 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 205 buildings between them. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1886 on, and the census since 1820.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Oxford is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, #19 of 758 in New York. All 2 inputs put Oxford near the top nationally; its National Register listings ranks highest.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Oxford’s overall grade.
New York towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical New York town has 12.3 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Oxford’s 584 sits above most of its state (93% of New York towns have fewer) while its 207 historic buildings outnumber those of 93% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.3 points).
Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Oxford’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
On the map
Oxford on the map, 1902 to 1951
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Oxford. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1902Oxford 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.
Every building
Oxford, building by building, 1886–1910
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
1886Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
The town is within the former realm of the Oneida and Tuscarora people. A tract of land in the town was purchased by Benjamin Hovey, from Oxford, Massachusetts. The first settlers in Oxford arrived in the spring of 1789. Elijah Blackman, his son Jabez Blackman, and eleven-year-old adopted daughter Polly Knapp built a primitive log cabin on an island in the Chenango River. The little island on which the Blackman family had squatted had previously been bought by Benjamin Hovey, who when he came on later to take possession, gave them in consideration of the improvements made, a piece of land, a mile and a half up the river. Blackman resided there until his death, which occurred about the year 1825.The town of Oxford was established in 1793 from territory divided from the town of Bainbridge and the town of Union (now in Broome County). Oxford lost some of its territory when the town of Guil…
Passages that mention Oxford, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Bethel, formerly Sudbury, Canada, Oxford County, Maine, 1768-18901891 · page 165Read the page →
Read the text
houses ; the first district to have forty dollars, the second, ninety, third, none, the fourth, forty, and the fifth and sixth, forty-five dollars each. Joseph Rust received seven votes for County Register for Oxford county. At a meeting in November, it was voted that Paris be the shire town of Oxford county. Voted unanimously against the two half shire towns, and chose a committee to act against the petitions from Fryeburg, Brownfield, Porterfield, etc., in favor of Fryeburg as a half shire town.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Then Fairfax raised the siege and moved north ; a few weeks later the fateful battle of Naseby was fought. Thereafter the King finally made his way to Oxford from Newark. Here for a while he was safe ; but in the spring Fairfax marched upon Oxford. The King was driven from his last refuge. At three in the morning of 27th April, disguised as a servant, with his beard and hair closely trimmed, he passed over Magdalen Bridge in apparent attendance upon John Ashburnham and a scholar, one Hudson, " who
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Bethel, formerly Sudbury, Canada, Oxford County, Maine, 1768-18901891 · page 108Read the page →
Read the text
Franklin county was erected in eighteen hundred and thirty-eight, and took from Oxford county the towns of Jay, Carthage and Weld. The town of Berlin, which was formerly an Oxford county town, was absorbed in the town of Phillips, and the name of Berlin was dropped. Androscoggin county was erected in eighteen hundred and fifty-four, and took the towns of Livermore and Turner. The following statistical table from Greenleaf's Survey of the State, shows the comparative standing of Oxford county towns in popula-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Oxford, 1796 to 1915
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
Oxford is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, #19 of 758 in New York. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Oxford?
4 listings: 2 buildings, among them the Theodore Burr House (listed 1981, the first), and 2 historic districts, the Oxford Village Historic District and the Sannick Family Farm, with 205 contributing buildings. 207 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Oxford?
37% of Oxford’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.3 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1963.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (4), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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