The History of Oxford
From the very beginning, Oxford was always meant to be a college town. As settlers expanded into the Western United States they stumbled upon a small, almost uninhabited township in northwestern Butler County, full of woodlands and a four mile creek named “Tallawanda” by the native Myaamia Tribe. This township was set aside in the hope that it would one day be home to an institute of higher learning. Six years later, Miami University was chartered and became the second oldest liberal arts educational institute in Ohio. Yet, a University cannot really exist without a village to support it - so in 1810, the Village of Oxford was laid out and the first lots were sold within a one mile square.
Oxford expanded quickly, building its first schoolhouse in 1811 and continuing to grow and fill the mile square boundary. By 1830, with a population of over 700, the Village of Oxford was incorporated. Throughout the 1800s and early 1900s, the vision of Oxford being home to institutes of higher learning was recognized by the formation of six colleges within the township, in addition to Miami University! These institutions attracted young adults from all over the country and the world.
As colleges came and went, Oxford continued to grow and develop around their centrally located “Uptown”. The village center was known as “Uptown” rather than downtown because the elevation was higher than the rest of the village. By the early 1900s, Uptown was a lively street celebrating the diversity of Oxford’s residents. The district was home to an African-American barbershop, a German butchershop, a German Bakery, a Sicilian grocery store, an Irish meat market, an English undertaking establishment, and a Greek candy store. By the mid-1900s Oxford was truly a hopping place! Any of a Resident’s daily needs could be met by just taking a stroll down High Street where one could peruse grocery stores, car dealerships, hardware stores, restaurants, drug stores, banks, and clothing stores.
As the village kept getting bigger, a charter form of government was adopted in 1960. A decade later, that population growth had turned the village into a full-fledged city. More people brought new businesses and subdivisions that began to expand the City beyond its original mile square boundary. Today, the City is home to only one institute of higher learning, Miami University, and sits on approximately seven square acres. Yet, the principles of public education, diversity, and small-town charm that have always been in Oxford, remain.
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