Stevenson Dam, Oxford

Stevenson Dam, Oxford – Jerry Dougherty

The town of Oxford is in New Haven County, located in southwestern Connecticut. The Pootatuck and Paugussett (the first peoples to inhabit the area), were followed by English settlers around the 1680s. Named for Oxford, England, the town was incorporated from parts of Derby and Southbury in October of 1798. Early manufacturing took advantage of waterpower and the economy was built on small farms and mills. Later, tanneries produced harnesses and leather goods including folded leather cases for daguererreotypes and ambrotypes. In addition, locally raised Merino sheep gave rise to processing mills and other related industries. Today Oxford is a rural suburb.

More on Oxford from the CT Digital Archive

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Merino Sheep

Textile Mills in Oxford Dominated Early Industry

Domestic wool production is one of the oldest industries in the United States. The first mill in Connecticut arrived in Hartford in 1788. …[more]

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Websites

Oxford Past. “Cemetery, Genealogy and History Project,” 2010. Link.

Places

“Derby Historical Society,” 2016. Link.
Department of Energy & Environmental Protection. “Larkin State Park Trail.” Accessed February 29, 2012. Link.
“Oxford Historical Society,” 2012. Link.

Documents

“Map - North Part of New Haven Co., Connecticut from Town and City Atlas of the State of Connecticut.” Boston, MA: D.H. Hurd & Company, 1893. University of Connecticut Libraries, Map and Geographic Information Center - MAGIC. Link.
Connecticut State Library Digital Collections. “Oxford - WPA Architectural Survey,” 2015. Link.
“Oxford Collection.” Connecticut Digital Archive, n.d. Link.

Books

Rockey, J. L., ed. History of New Haven County, Connecticut. Vol. 2. New York: W. W. Preston, 1892. Link.
Litchfield, Norman, and Sabina Connolly Hoyt. History of the Town of Oxford, Connecticut. Oxford, CT: N. Litchfield, 1960. Link.
DeBisschop, Dorothy. Oxford. Charleston,  SC: Arcadia, 2004.
Bronson, Henry. The History of Waterbury, Connecticut the Original Township Embracing Present Watertown and Plymouth, and Parts of Oxford, Wolcott, Middlebury, Prospect and Naugatuck. Waterbury, CT: Bronson Brothers, 1858. Link.