Oxford Historical Society, Oxford CT

Help Bring the Children back to Mr. Munn's Schoolhouse through Restoration and Preservation

Oxford Historical Society, Oxford, CT 06478

Links to download PDF forms:

2020 Membership Form, Bylaws, Collections Policy

2019 Newsletters: Jan/Feb, March/April, May/June,

July/August, Sept-Oct November/December

Resources on Oxford History

Oxford Historical Society

“Christmas Collections” the Theme of the Twitchell-Rowland Homestead Holiday Open Houses

The Twitchell-Rowland Homestead will open its doors for its annual holiday open houses beginning Sunday, December 1. The 1755 saltbox farmhouse will also welcome visitors on Sunday, December 15 and on Sunday, January 5. Hours are from 2-4 p.m. The Homestead is located at 60 Towner Lane, off Route 67 in Oxford.
      Following the theme “The Collections of Christmas”, members of the Oxford Garden Club have decorated the 3 rooms of the museum with seasonal trimmings. Commemorative ornaments honoring a variety of United States presidents enhance one tree. Other treasures on display include vintage Christmas books and greeting cards, a gathering of Santa Clauses and hand blown ornaments from the early 20th century.
      Visitors will also be able to see the exterior of Mr. Munn’s 1850 schoolhouse, recently moved to the Towner Lane site and now located beside the museum.
      Admission to the holiday open houses is free. Refreshments will be served.
      For further information contact Nancy Farnum at 203 888-0230.
(Christmas decorators, Carmina Palorina, left, and Mary Sullivan right, stand in front of fireplace they decorated for the holidays. Thanks for their help in making the homestead festive for our visitors.)

Holiday Gifts and Stocking Stuffers: Local History in Print

A selection of books is also on sale including the new The Railroad in Oxford (2019), World War II Revisited (2018), Historic Buildings of Oxford, Past and Present (2017). Over a dozen other titles are on display as well as copies of the 1868 colored town map featuring school districts with notations on businesses and property owners. Maps are $5, prices of the books vary.

New Notecards Available

Available at the Homestead now - Stevenson Dam notecards. A set includes ten different vintage photos from the 1916-1919 construction of the area landmark. Each card is labeled with a historic caption on the back. A set of ten with ten envelopes is available for a $5 donation. Stop into the Twitchell-Rowland Homestead to pick up these and shop from other styles of unique cards.

History books, maps and notecards for sale

Oxford Historical Society

Honor an Educator; Move a Schoolhouse

The Oxford Historical Society offers area residents an opportunity to honor an educator, while supporting the preservation of the 1850’s one-room school known as Mr. Munn’s Schoolhouse. Originally built as a private schoolhouse, it was later used by the Oxford's First School District as a “select school,” where advanced students could be prepared for college.

The building, formerly located at 561 Oxford Road, was moved to the Historical Society's Twitchell-Rowland Homestead Museum campus at 60 Towner Lane. There the Society will restore and preserve the building to offer children and adults the experience of a day in a one-room schoolhouse.

To support the move, the Society has launched the “Honor an Educator” program. Supporters can make a $5 donation to the preservation program in honor of an educator. In return they will receive a special note card to be sent to the teacher they wish to honor. Donors will also receive an acknowledgement of their tax-deductible gift to the Society.

Forms to “Honor an Educator” may be found HERE on the Society's website or picked up at the Town Clerk's Office. They are also available at the Homestead Museum on the first and third Sundays of each month from 2-4 p.m.

Donations through the Honor an Educator program will enable the development of a hands-on, living history program that will teach today’s students about education in Oxford in the past, and honor the heritage of educators who have helped Oxford’s children become useful members of society. Your support is appreciated.