Town of Oxford

            The first town laid out in Benton County was that of Oxford, situated on the south half of the  southeast quarter of Section 18, and the north half of the northeast quarter of Section 19, in Township 24, of Range 7. The following is a description of the survey of the town of Oxford, the county seat of Benton County, Ind.; Beginning at the southwest corner of Block 8, on the Section line, four chains and forty-five and one-half links west of the center line of the donation; thence extending north, at a variation of the magnetic needle of five degrees, to the northwest corner of Block 3; thence east at right angles to the northeast corner of Block 1; thence south to the southeast corner of Block 6, on the Section line; thence, based south to the southeast corner of Block 6, on the Section line; thence, based on the Section line, west to the place of beginning, comprising an area of  14 88/100 acres, more or less. The lots all to be 60 x 120 feet; alleys twelve feet wide, and the streets sixty feet wide; streets and alleys all cross each other at right angles. The public square is 120 x 252 feet. Ordered that the above description of said town be confirmed by the Board of Commissioners of Benton County. The foregoing is an extract from the record of the proceedings of the Board of County Commissioners at their September session, 1848

            The town was surveyed in the spring of 1843, and at the October term, 1843, of Commissioners’ Court it was ordered that the County Agent proceed to advertise and sell the lots in the town of Oxford, the sale to be on the first Monday in December, 1843, the terms of sale to be one-third in six months, one-third in twelve months, and one-third in eighteen months. There were a number of lots sold at this sale, yet the town did no seem to increase rapidly in population, as appears from the fact that the Board of Commissioners, at their June session in 1846, Ordered that any person moving to and settling in Oxford, and putting up a house worth $200, shall have two lots, one corner, if vacant, and one back, said houses to be built by the 1^st of June, 1847, and the selection of lots to be made by the 1^st of September, 1846. The following sketch of the town of Oxford was kindly furnished by Mrs. A.J. Carnahan, an early settler of the town: May 17, 1843, Commissioners were appointed to locate the county seat of this county, who located the same at the northern part of White Oak Grove, where the town of Oxford now stands. The first house built in Oxford was the court house, a frame building two stories high. Francis Boynton was the architect and builder, Dr. Thompson (late of Rainsville), plasterer, and Isaac Lewis, of Oxford, hod-carrier. The court house stood where the Buckeye Block now stands. From there it was moved to the public square, then to the ground now occupied by Zeis’ grocery store, whence it was moved to its present resting place, where it is now occupied by James Connelly, as a saloon. The second house was a hotel, built by Henry L. Ellsworth, of which James L. Hatton was first proprietor. First dwelling-house was built by Aaron Wood, on the lot now occupied by John Carnahan, jeweler. The first store was a small affair, consisting of a few groceries, beer and whisky, kept by Aaron Wood. The first dry goods store, Earl & Carnahan; first drug store, Barnes & Dailey; first blacksmith, Dailey; first resident lawyer, Jacob Benedict; first physician, Dr. Mayo; first preacher, Rev. Sell; first editor, Joseph W. Jackson. The first family was Hartley T. Howard’s who lived in the court house. First couple married, Barton Wood (brother of Aaron Wood) and Mattie Howard, daughter of Hartley T. Howard. A child born to them was the first child born in the town. The first schoolhouse was built of logs, on the lot now occupied by Volney Benedict. First church, Christian, George Campbell, pastor. First literary society, Oxford Lyceum.

            The following additions have been made to Oxford: By Bail Justus, December 11, 1852, thirty-two lots, two streets and two alleys each way; Basil Justus’ Second Addition, December 1, 1855, forty-six lots; James W. Barnes’ Addition, September 19, 1870, twenty lots; Basil Justus’ Third Addition, May 25, 1870, forty-six lots; James Campbell’s Addition, November 9, 1870, four lots; Jasper N. McConnell’s Addition, June 10, 1872, eight lots; W.J. Templeton’s First Addition, April 11, 1866, thirty-one lots; W.J. Templeton’s Second Addition, April 2, 1873, eighty lots; W.J. Templeton’s Third addition, June 7, 1873, twelve lots; David McConnell’s First Addition, August 28, 1855, thirty-six lots; David McConnell’s Second Addition, February 18, 1858, thirty-six lots. By order of the Board of Commissioners, March term, 1864, Justus’ Third Addition to the town of Oxford, consisting of thirty-nine lots, was vacated. The parties who, upon the removal of the county seat from Oxford to Fowler, obligated themselves to pay the appraised value of the county property at Oxford, denied the validity of the bond which they had given, and offered to compromise by paying $2,500, instead of $6,750, the appraised value of the property, and after consulting good legal authority in regard to the matter, the board at their September session, 1875, decided to accept the terms proposed by the bondsmen, and ordered the grounds conveyed to the town of Oxford, together with the jail building thereon. It seems that provisions had been made by the donor of the lands on which the county seat was established, that ten percent of the proceeds of the sales of the lands or town lots, should go to purchase a county library. The library was organized in June, 1852, with Daniel Mills as Librarian, and Joseph W. Jackson as Treasurer and Clerk. The election held for the purpose of deciding the question whether Oxford should be incorporated was held at the court house on July 7, 1869, and resulted in forty-one votes being cast in favor of incorporation, and twenty-eight against it. Judge David McConnell is one of the old landmarks of the town of Oxford, he having settled on the very spot on which he now resides in 1834. He says he has killed many a deer on the present site of the town. The first bank in Oxford was established in 1873, Brackenbrough & Perrin, of La Fayette, being the principal stockholders, Theophilus Stembel, President, and Luther D. Hawley, Cashier. The present bank was established December 15, 1879, by Robert S. Dwiggins, of Rensselaer, Robert S. Fisher, of Union City, and Zimri Dwiggins of Oxford, R.S. Dwiggins being President , Z. Dwiggins, Cashier, and W.J. McConnell, Assistant Cashier. They first started with $30,000 capital, but could not use so much, and reduced it to $20,000.

            The present business of Oxford is as follows: Conrad H. Zeis, James Bryant, William H. Kelley and Charles Green, grocers; John J. Ripple, dry goods and clothing; Winfield Menefee, boots and shoes; Heth & Co., dry goods; C.H. Zeis, bakery; John P. Ross, furniture and undertaker; James Conley, saloon (old court house); Jacob S. Albaugh, butcher; William Shelby, barber; Dr. H.C. McConnell, druggist; William M. Scott, druggist; Margaret Young, milliner; Michael Kelly, saloon; William C. Parker & Co., carriage shop; Isaac Lewis & Son, grain dealers; Dwiggins & Dwiggins, Commercial Bank; C.E. Steele, hardware and tin shop; Smith & Ambler, meat market; James bell, proprietor Ohio House; George Pagett, Postmaster; Charles Dailey, attorney; Jacob Miller, Justice of the Peace; Sampson McMillen, furniture; Jacob Benedict, attorney and Notary Public; Mrs. Mary Ferguson and Mattie Lewis, milliners; Mrs. Frances M. Johnson, milliner; Joseph B. Lane, drugs and books; Campbell & Cobb, boots and shoes; Peter Jones, blacksmith; John W. Bradley, hardware; Lewis & Scott, livery; A.P. Carnahan, saloon; Levi Waldrip, blacksmith; A. Johnson, tailor; John G. Carnahan, jeweler; Charles Green, restaurant; James Campbell, photographer; Joel C. Wilmoth, hardware; Smith & Messner, dry good and clothing; Charles Ross, dentist; Misses Maggie and Lucy Dodson, milliners and dress-makers; Robert Wood, saddles and harness; Mark J. Brier, blacksmith and carriage shop; Miss Lizzie Sunderland, milliner and dress-maker; Dr. A.S. Wells; Dr. Jonathan Kolb; Lamson & Bro., tile factory; Allen McGuire and Washington L. Bryant, painters; John Richards, barber; Benedict & Winegardner, Elisha Johnson, Smith & Steele, and George W. Bliss, carpenters.

Source: Counties of Warren, Benton, Jasper and Newton, Indiana by F.A. Battey & Co., 1883.