Oxford Map and History

Oxford is one of the oldest towns in Maryland. Although already settled for perOxford haps 20 years, Oxford The Strand Tilghman St. Market St. High St. East St. Division St. Oxford Road Benoni Ave. Pleasant St. Robes Hbr. Ct. South Morris Street Bachelor Point Road Pier St. E. Pier St. Bonfield Ave.Third StreetJack’s Pt. Rd.First Street 2nd St. W. Division St. Caroline St.West St. Tred Avon Ave. Myrtle Ave. Sinclair St. Richardson St.South Street Town Creek Rd. Wilson St. Stewart Ave. Norton St. Mill St. Jefferson St. Banks St.Factory St.Morris St. Oxford Community Center Oxford Park Bellevue Ferry T r e d A v o n R i v e r Town Creek Oxford To Easton 333 8 1 2 3 7 9 10 11 13 15 16 17 18 19 4 56 12 14 © John Norton marks the year 1683 as its official founding, for in that year Oxford was first named by the Maryland General Assembly as a seaport and was laid out as a town. In 1694, Oxford and a new town called Anne Arundel (now Annapolis) were selected the only ports of entry for the entire Maryland province. Until the American Revolution, Oxford enjoyed prominence as an international shipping center surrounded by wealthy tobacco plantations. Today, Oxford is a charming tree-lined and waterbound village with a population of just over 700 and is still important in boat building and yachting. It has a protected harbor for watermen who harvest oysters, crabs, clams and fish, and for sailors from all over the Bay.

For a walking tour and more history visit https://tidewatertimes. com/travel-tourism/oxford-maryland/.

“In them days, you’d eat dried lima beans. They had a lot of protein and they were something cheap.

Sometimes the Ewell twins were there or Mr. Swain. Everybody ate there, plus the family. You’d never know who was who.

“I remember after they washed the dishes, they put ’em back on the table upside down, the plate and the cup and saucer. The bread they’d always leave on the end of the table ~ maybe two or three pones.”

Nobody went hungry on the island, but cash was hard to come by. Barney was visiting Cap’n Sol’s one day when their son was to go to the store for lamp oil. Through the Depression, brothers Rannie and Shelton Gray ran the largest island store, where kerosene was ten cents a gallon.

The Treasure Chest

A Gift Shop Featuring Locally Made Artisan Crafts & Artwork

Jewelry by Joan’s Gems  Local Artwork Handmade Pottery and Mosaics Port of Oxford Merchandise  T-shirts & More!

111 S. Morris St., Oxford MD 410-924-8817 Wed. ~ Mon. 10 AM to 5 PM, closed Tues. · treasurechestofoxford@gmail.com

“Smitty picked up the kerosene can this day and said, ‘I’m going out the store with the can, but I don’t know whether Rannie’ll let me have it or not.’”

He surely got the kerosene. As Barney said of the Gray brothers and their store, “How they stayed in business I don’t know. Everybody owed ’em.”

The island population dwindled in World War II, and the Gray brothers moved on to businesses up the road, but Barney said “They did the same thing in Cambridge and Vienna.” They saw many families through the lean years of the ’30s, “when a dollar looked as big as a bushel basket.”

Easy Money

Little Gertie was a fifty-foot schooner built for Cap’n Sam, one of the Gray family who owned quite a fleet of schooners harbored off Gray’s Island. (“None of ’em could read or write,” Barney said of that hard-working generation.) One of Cap’n Sam’s two sons was listed as Little Gertie’s Master.

Speaking of Cap’n Sam’s sons, Barney said, “Huh, they couldn’t get up the river, neither one of ’em. Bert Jarrett steered for ’em, to Baltimore or wherever. Cap’n Sam left those two all of them oysters up to Gray’s Island. Oyster season come and they never worked none ~ hired people to work the oyster beds.

Then when they sailed down here

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to Elliotts Island to put ’em out, they stood around dressed up in their white shirts and watched.

“Cap’n Sam left ’em a barrel of money. They run up and down the river with them big-time folks in Cambridge. Sold Grason Winterbottom the Martha Ellen, a sixtyeight footer.

“When the fi rst son died, he had fi fty cents in his pocket. He’d blowed it all. Before he died, he didn’t have money to pay his life insurance. They told his daughter, ‘If you don’t pay it for him today, it’s gonna lapse.’ He didn’t live over four or fi ve days more. If she hadn’t paid it, there wouldn’t have been money enough to bury him.

“Like they say, comes easy ~ goes easy. You don’t know the worth of it when you never worked for it.”

Forty-some years ago, A.M. Foley swapped the Washington, D.C., business scene for a writing life on Elliott Island, Maryland. Tidewater Times has kindly published portions of one upcoming work, Chesapeake Bay Island Hopping, along with other regional musings. Foley’s published works are described at www.HollandIslandBook.com.

Oxford Business Association November Calendar

Nov. 7 – Cars and Coffee: Anyone can come out and enjoy cars, coffee and camaraderie. If you have a new, classic, or other interesting automobile, you and your car are welcome. Hosted by Ryan Gold, owner of AugustClassic.com of Easton. Oxford Community Center. Free; 9-11:30 a.m. Nov. 9 – Monday Meal and Music: Order a special Oxford Community Center take-away dinner by Garden & Garnish and receive a link to a mini concert performed on the center’s Steinway piano. $35 pp. Meal pick-up 5 p.m. at OCC. For more details and to reserve your dinner call 410-226-5904 or visit oxfordcc.org. Nov. 9 & 19 – Bring Your Own Piece of Furniture Painting Class: Learn how to use chalk mineral paint to paint and seal it! The class price includes an 8-oz. jar of paint and an 8-oz. jar of sealer for you to keep and take home after the class. Furniture piece should be on the small side. The Treasure Chest, 111 S. Morris St; 5:30-8:30 p.m.; $65; Limited to 3 participants, social distancing, mask required. For more info or sign up, go to www.treasurechestoxford.com. Nov. 13 – Seafood Take-Out Dinner: Fried Fish, Crab Cake, Shrimp & a Side. 4 – 7 pm or till sold out. Oxford Volunteer Fire Department. Nov. 14 – Oxford Walks 21654 Kickoff: Virtual walk to keep folks moving! Benefits Oxford Volunteer Fire Co. and Oxford Community Center. Watch for more info. at oxfordcc.org and portofoxford.com. Nov. 16 – Chicken Cordon Bleu Take-Out Dinner: Prepared by Larry Paz for the Oxford Community Center. His meals always sell out fast, 410-226-5404 or go to oxfordcc.org to make your reservation. Nov. 16 – Painting and Transfer Class: Learn about using chalk mineral paints to paint an inspirational sign, materials supplied; 5:30-7:30 p.m.; $36; The Treasure Chest, 111 S. Morris St. Limited to 3 participants, social distancing, mask required. For more info or sign up, go to treasurechestoxford.com. Nov. 21 – Drive-Thru Bake Sale: Oxford Fire Department Auxiliary. Pre-orders only at https://ofcamd. square.site/ Questions? E-mail ofcaMD@gmail.com. Nov. 26 – Thanksgiving Dinner at Robert Morris Inn: Outside around a fire pit, inside socially distanced or take out for the whole family. Go to www.robertmorrisinn.com/dining-menus-and-togo/ thanksgiving-dining--to-go.aspx for more information and reservations. When you buy from a small business, someone does a happy dance… Check www.portofoxford.com calendar for event updates

ONGOING… at OCC:

Core & More Fitness Rx with Mark Cuviello – every Mon & Wed, 10:30 am; classes will be outdoors; $12 Steady & Strong Virtual Exercise Class w/Janet Pfeffer - Tues. & Thurs; 10:15 am; Registration required to get zoom link. Call 410.226.5904; $60/10 classes; $10 drop-in

Intermediate Yoga with Suzie Hurley - Saturdays 9:30 – 11 am; Socially distanced or outdoors; bring your own equipment. Advance registration required, 410.226.5904

Beginner/Adv. Beginner Yoga with Suzie Hurley - Mondays 1 – 2:45 pm; Socially distanced or outdoors; bring your own equipment. Advance registration required, 410.226.5904

Oxford Business Association ~ portofoxford.com