Historical Society Book to be Discussed

The newly released book on old houses and other historic Oxford buildings will be the topic at Oxford Public Library, 486 Oxford Road, on Thursday March 8 at 6 p.m. Historic houses, churches and schools in town will be part of the PowerPoint presentation by Town Historian, Dorothy DeBisschop and book committee chairman Marilyn Stebar.

The program will include representative photos from the more than 216 photos included in Historic Buildings of Oxford Past and Present, released by the Society in December. The book serves as a resource for current property owners and encourages community support for the preservation of these historic homes and buildings. With over 1,000 index entries, the book is also an important reference document for use by future researchers.

The Society had published a book in 1976, Early Houses of Oxford. The new book is more than an update of the earlier book. It includes 147 buildings, many not listed earlier, plus original entries with updated ownerships and new color photographs. In addition a separate section "Gone, but Not Forgotten" memorializes 33 early houses that have been lost to time or demolition. A similar portion documents 19 public and private early schools. All information gathered during the Committee's research is part of the Twitchell -Rowland Homestead archives.

Since their founding in 1975 the Oxford Historical Society has been actively acquiring and preserving information and artifacts related to the town and the area of southwest Connecticut between the Housatonic and Naugatuck Rivers. In the ultimate preservation project Society members raised funds from the community to move a historic house slated for demolition to a donated lot, construct a foundation and create a local history museum. The Twitchell-Rowland Homestead opened to the public in 2012 and has become a center for historic research and information as well as Society activities.