|
********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************* Oxford
Historical Society, Oxford, CT 06478 Links to
download PDF forms: 2023 Membsrhip form (PDF) Collection policy (PDF) September-October Newsletter (PDF) |
|
COMING EVENTS:
OXFORD HISTORICAL SOCIETY HOSTS PROGRAM ON OXFORD’S SCHOOLS HISTORY
The Oxford Historical Society will host Town Historian Dorothy DeBisschop’s presentation “The History of Oxford’s Schools” on Sunday, November 19, at 2 p.m. at the Great Hill United Methodist Church Hall in Seymour. Admission is free and refreshments will be served.
The church is located at 225 Great Hill Road, just above the Route 188 rotary.
The children of Oxford’s earliest settlers were most likely taught at home, but in 1748, a Parish Meeting voted to hire a schoolmaster for 3 months: one month in Oxford Center, one month in Quaker Farms, and one month in the eastern part of town. Mrs. DeBisschop’s talk will cover the history of both private and public education from those early days to the present. She will review how the education system developed in response to changes in the population, economy, world wars and state regulations. Photos of the preservation and restoration of Mr. Munn’s 1850 one-room private schoolhouse as well as pictures of the various neighborhood schools which served Oxford until 1948 will illustrate her presentation.
Mrs. DeBisschop was a former reporter for the Evening Sentinel and the secretary of the Oxford Bicentennial Commission. She has been the Oxford Municipal Historian since 1988, and the author of several books including Images of Oxford and Historic Personalities of the Naugatuck Valley. She also published several books on World War II with Audrey C. Linke.
When the present Twitchell-Rowland Homestead Museum was slated for demolition, Mrs. DeBisschop spearheaded the drive to move and restore it. In 2019 she also coordinated moving Mr. Munn’s Schoolhouse to the museum campus at 60 Towner Lane. Currently she coordinates fund-raising and grants for the Oxford Historical Society. Her local history notes are featured daily on the Historical Society’s Facebook page.
The Oxford Historical Society will host Town Historian Dorothy DeBisschop’s presentation “The History of Oxford’s Schools” on Sunday, November 19, at 2 p.m. at the Great Hill United Methodist Church Hall in Seymour. Admission is free and refreshments will be served.
The church is located at 225 Great Hill Road, just above the Route 188 rotary.
The children of Oxford’s earliest settlers were most likely taught at home, but in 1748, a Parish Meeting voted to hire a schoolmaster for 3 months: one month in Oxford Center, one month in Quaker Farms, and one month in the eastern part of town. Mrs. DeBisschop’s talk will cover the history of both private and public education from those early days to the present. She will review how the education system developed in response to changes in the population, economy, world wars and state regulations. Photos of the preservation and restoration of Mr. Munn’s 1850 one-room private schoolhouse as well as pictures of the various neighborhood schools which served Oxford until 1948 will illustrate her presentation.
Mrs. DeBisschop was a former reporter for the Evening Sentinel and the secretary of the Oxford Bicentennial Commission. She has been the Oxford Municipal Historian since 1988, and the author of several books including Images of Oxford and Historic Personalities of the Naugatuck Valley. She also published several books on World War II with Audrey C. Linke.
When the present Twitchell-Rowland Homestead Museum was slated for demolition, Mrs. DeBisschop spearheaded the drive to move and restore it. In 2019 she also coordinated moving Mr. Munn’s Schoolhouse to the museum campus at 60 Towner Lane. Currently she coordinates fund-raising and grants for the Oxford Historical Society. Her local history notes are featured daily on the Historical Society’s Facebook page.
Our Town's History is Our Country's History
Letters
from relatives, a grandmother's diary, photos and videos, and other
material collected over the years provide vital and unique information
about a life or the history of a family. These can be important to
individuals. But they may also be important to our Oxford.
Whether or not members of a local family attained a degree of fame,
they have contributed to the heritage of a certain place and time.
The Oxford Historical Society collects archives of Oxford residents and organizations. The Society may agree to receive the actual documents and photos or the Society may borrow them to be copied and returned to the owners. When you donate or loan personal, family or organization papers to the Oxford Historical Society, they become a part of Oxford's - and America's - collective memory,
Persons with old photos or documents relating to the people of Oxford, are invited to call Historical Society historian Nancy Farnum (203-888-0230) to arrange a review of the material and determine how to preserve them for future generations.
The Oxford Historical Society collects archives of Oxford residents and organizations. The Society may agree to receive the actual documents and photos or the Society may borrow them to be copied and returned to the owners. When you donate or loan personal, family or organization papers to the Oxford Historical Society, they become a part of Oxford's - and America's - collective memory,
Persons with old photos or documents relating to the people of Oxford, are invited to call Historical Society historian Nancy Farnum (203-888-0230) to arrange a review of the material and determine how to preserve them for future generations.