Quilt of Oxford

The historic structure was erected by Oxford’s Methodist Episcopal congregation during the mid-to-late 19^th century. In 1940 the Methodist Episcopal and Methodist Protestant churches merged and united congregations and now worship in the Methodist Protestant building, which is now the United Methodist Church. St. Paul’s was sold to the Pilgrim Holiness congregation in 1948. In 1979 the church property was acquired by Ted and Jennifer Stanley who are preserving the structure.

John Pope opened a tavern in early 1692/92. The present Oxford Inn and Pope’s Tavern was built in the late 1800’s and has been a grocery store, butcher shop, tavern, and inn. Today, the renovated Oxford Inn and Pope’s Tavern welcomes guests for charming accommodations and casual elegant dining.

Sailing craft designed solely for racing have long been a part of the Chesapeake Bay. The first craft seen by those entering the Bay was a dugout canoe. It was an Indian boat hardly more than a water trough. The settlers built hull forms out of several logs fitted together rather than the single log used by the natives. Sails were added in the 18^th century. Watermen realized the sailing qualities of the canoes and, when the crafts were not being employed in earning a living, matches were held to determine the fastest boat. Racing the canoes is the only use of these lovely craft today.

This church dates from 1883 and was named for the Reverend D.C. Waters, the first pastor. Before that date, the nearest place to worship for black Methodists in Oxford was the little John Wesley Chapel two miles away on Oxford-Easton road. The Congregation incorporated in 1901 and a sanctuary was built and a parish hall completed in 1954. The present church is on Market Street. The original church is being renovated and will be the site for African-American history in the area.

This private residence was built in 1798 by John Willis. John was appointed Collector of Customs for the port of Oxford by President Thomas Jefferson in 1804. John’s brother brought a grapevine from the Isle of Jersey in 1810. The roots were kept moist by inserting them into a potato. It was planted at his brother’s house and is considered the oldest grapevine in the country.

The seal of Oxford as a port of entry, which has been used to stamp official papers, had been missing since shortly after 1866. Meanwhile and official seal for the Town of Oxford had been designed and purchased in 1879. The original seal was found in Pennsylvania 75 years later and given to the Maryland Historical society in Baltimore. The seal is on the water tower seen from the Tred Avon River and Oxford flags flown from homes. You can learn more about the seal of Oxford by clicking here.

Captain Edward Stevens and his wife Margaret Ann built Maplehurst in 1880. Two of the seven children, Nellie and Ida, remained unmarried and inherited the property on South Street. Nellie Stevens was responsible for the Nellie B. Stevens holly tree, now popular worldwide. She experimented with cross-pollination of Chinese and native holly trees and developed a holly different from any other. It was registered in 1952 and continues to be a popular variety. 

The ferry is the oldest privately owned ferry in the United States. It was established on November 20, 1683 with continuous service since 1836. The Talbot County Court gave Mr. Richard Royston the rights to keep a ferry for horses and men from his plantation back and forth across the Tred Avon River. He was paid a subsidy of 2,500 pounds of tobacco per year. To read more about the history of the Oxford-Bellevue Ferry, click here.

The property originally was a school house built for African-American students in grades one through eight in 1899. The schoolhouse was closed in 1930 and the property was sold to Nellie and Albert Wilson. They had a small restaurant and rented the upper floor as a sail loft to sailmaker Downes F. Curtis. Curtis and his brother Albert used the building until 1996. It is now owned by a restoration architect who is restoring it to its original colors and appearances.

The first United States customs house was erected in Oxford in the 1700’s. An architect made an exact copy of the original building and the present structure is staffed by volunteers.

An English trading company purchased a house, built prior to 1710, as a residence for its trading representative, Robert Morris. He arrived in Oxford in 1738 and was the father of Robert Morris, Jr., the financier of the American Revolution. It was originally called the River View House and was a hotel after it was no longer needed as a residence. At one point, it was a general store, restaurant, dancing tavern, and beer bar. In 1950, Victor Pelle bought it for $25,000, made improvements, and gave it the name The Robert Morris Inn. You can read more about the life of Robert Morris by clicking here.

The Academy House was built around 1850 after the organization of the Maryland Military Institute by General Tench Tilghman with the intent of it being a preparatory institution to West Point. Unfortunately, the main college building was destroyed by fire on September 13, 1855. The property was purchased by Henry and Jane Bell of Ireland in 1862 and the officers’ residence was restored and given as a wedding present to their daughter Mary Ann and Samuel W. Bratt of Yorkshire, England.

The skipjack, a centerboard craft, is beamy, has a raking mast, jib, and leg-of-mutton mainsail. At one time, it was an all-purpose vessel used for transporting watermelon, hay, and on the farm products when not engaged in the oyster trade. The skipjack was part of the waterman’s fleet in early Oxford days and is now used as an oyster dredger. These graceful craft are also raced annually and used for tourist rides.

Early Episcopalians were worshipping in Trappe and Easton. In 1850, General Tench Tilghman, grandson of the Revolutionary War hero, petitioned to have a church built in Oxford. The cornerstone was laid in 1853. Fire gutted the church in 1945 but it was immediately rebuilt and services were held again within a year.

Watermen used a variety of craft to work the water for fish, crabs, oyster, and clams. It can be a skipjack, a retired bugeye with no mast and motorized, an open cockpit power boat, or whatever the waterman may need to maintain his trade. These boats, like the one shown here, can be heard in the early morning motoring out to provide the population with the wonderful delicacies of the Tred Avon River, its tributaries, and the Chesapeake Bay.

This is the oldest house in Oxford remaining on its original foundation. It was built cs. 1770 by Richard Barnaby, a sea captain. It is a single-story dwelling supported by a stone foundation and is one of the most significant 18^th century town-sited frame dwellings on the Eastern Shore.

Disagreement over the result of the Civil War caused this congregation to split and the southern sympathizers built another Methodist Church next to the Town Park. Their differences eventually abated and, in 1941, the two congregations united and the building of the present church began, and was completed, in 1949.