Scott County, Kentucky

Oxford

Pages 211-212

OXFORD PRECINCT - TOPOGRAPHICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE FEATURES - TIMBER, ETC. - SETTLEMENT OF THE PIONEERS - THEIR EARLY TRAILS AND TROUBLES - ROADS, MILLS, SCHOOLS, OXFORD VILLATE - CHURCHES AND SUNDAY SCHOOL.

Oxford Precinct, known as Election Precinct No. 7 pf Scott County, is bounded on the north by Muddy Ford & Dry Run road, on the east by Bourbon & Harrison Counties, on the souht by the Cynthiana & Georgetown road and on the west by the Georgetown and Turkey Foot road. Miller's Run is the principal stream, and has its fountain head within a mile of the village of Oxford; running thence in a southwest direction, it empties into the Elkhorn. There are a few other small streams and brooks in the precinct, thus affording an excellent system of natural drainage. The original timber growth was sugar maple, walnut, blue ash, burr-oak, "shellbark" hickory, etc. The people are engaged chiefly in agriculture and stock raising, and are intelligent and industrious as a class. The village of Oxford is the only approach to a town in the precinct, and is a place of considerable business.

Oxford Precinct was settled in an early day, but of its pioneers little is now known, beyond the fact that they came here when most of the country around and about them was an unbroken wilderness, swarming with wild beasts and savages. Amid such scenes, they made their homes, lived out their time and died. Among the few names gathered, as ranking among the pioneers of Oxford, was Jesse Browning, who settled one mile northeast of the village; on land now owned by Willis Gunnell. Charles Hamilton was one of the earliest settlers, and located about a quarter of a mile north of the present village of Oxford. He had a family of six children. John Ritchie and James Risk were also early settlers in the same neighborhood. A number of other families, perhaps, are entitled to mention as early settlers, but the long period that has elapsed since they came to the country has veiled their settlement in obscurity and buried their names in oblivion. Such are the ways of human nature.

"If you or I to-day should die,
The birds would sing as sweet to-morrow;
The vernal spring its flowers would bring,
And few would think of us with sorrow."

The early years of the pioneers were years of privation, toil and danger; privation in building up a home for their families, toil to provide them with the necessities of life and danger from the Indians and wild beasts that, in early years, infested the country. We, who are enjoying the fruits of their labor, know very little of what they had to encounter in those pioneer days. Born in the midst of abundance and "lapped in luxury," we would shrink and flee from the dangers to which they were daily exposed. The first roads through the precinct were made upon the early Indian trails through the forest. These were, at first, sufficient for the pioneer's train of pack-horses, but when wagons were introduced these trails were cut out to admit their passage, and thus were made the first roads, which, from time to time, have been improved, until they have reached their present perfected system. The road from Cynthia to Georgetown bears the name of being the oldest road in or passing through the precinct. The next road was the Oxford and Newtown. The first pike was the Oxford & Georgetown pike, and was commenced in June, 1868. It was completed the next spring, and continued to Leesburg in 1870, except about a mile and a half in Oxford, which gap was finished in 1880, and the road is now known as the Georgetown, Oxford & Leesburg Pike. At the present writing (1882) there is a pike in course of construction from Kinkead Station, on the Cincinnati Southern Railroad, to Oxford village. The first bridge built in the precinct was a wooden bridge, built over Miller's Run, on the Oxford and Leesburg road. Taken altogether, Oxford Precinct is well supplied with roads and highways.

The early settlers were forced to get their milling done in other and distant neighborhoods, as we have no account of any mill in what now forms Oxford Precinct, until within a very recent period. The first and the only mill said to have been built in the precinct is owned by D.P. Moore, and has been in operation but a short time. It is a steam grist mill, and is located on the Muddy Ford & Dry Run road. It does a large business and is of considerable benefit to the community.

Who taught the first school in what is now Oxford Precinct is not known at the present day. Like every portion of Kentucky, there is not sufficient attention paid to the common schools. Too many people depend wholly upon educating their children in the academies, seminaries and colleges located in town, and seem to think it low and disreputable to patronize the common schools. This is a sadly mistaken idea, and until we take more interest in them and spend more money upon their support, we must expect the education of our children to fall far short of what it should be. The very best that can be said of the schools of Oxford Precinct is that they are lamentably deficient.

The village of Oxford, five miles from Georgetown, was laid out and settled by a man named Patterson, who owned the surrounding land. The place was first known as Patterson's Cross Road, and as proprietors changed the name changed also, being successively that of Burkley's Cross Roads, Marion Cross Roads and finally Oxford, the name it now bears. Where and from whence this famous name was received, it being that of one of the most distinguished spots in England, our authority fails to state. Although never as renowned in history as its English namesake, yet, if all reports are true concerning its earlier career, it was once a place of rather widespread notoriety. But within the past few years the beneficial effects of local option has metamorphosed in into a quiet, respectable and prosperous village.

The oldest tavern, and the only one ever in the place, was kept by Hart Boswell. It was a brick structure, and is still standing, a relic of the "by-gones." The first stores were kept respectively by B.P. Anderson, Cary Ward, Glenn Rickerson, Cannon & McDaniel, etc., and were of the class usually kept in small country villages in an early day, and came under the head of general merchandise. A man named Bailey kept a tailor-shop here some twenty years or more. Shoe shops, blacksmith and wood shops were among the early industries of Oxford Village. There are now two stores, viz: S. S. Moore and C.T. Price, both of a general merchandise character. A blacksmith and wood shop is kept by William Ryles. This comprises the general business of the quiet village at the present time.

The Oxford Christian Church as organized at the Old Sugar Ridge Schoolhouse in July, 1831, and in 1847 a new frame church was built, under the supervision of Elder John A. Gano, Sr., who had in connection with him, in his early ministrations in this pioneer church, Elder John Smith, who was better known throughout this section, perhaps, by the euphonious appellation of "Raccoon" Smith. The original membership of the church as about one hundred. In 1881, the building was handsomely repaired and refitted, under the pastorate of Elder C.T. Forscutt, an Australian by birth, who was largely instrumental in its improvement. The Oxford Methodist Church was organized about the same year and at the same place of that mentioned above. It retained for many years its original membership, but from natural causes, such as death and removals, it has been greatly depleted in numbers. A new brick church has been built in Oxford Village, where the old congregation now worship.

Providence Presbyterian Church was organized, about the year 1835, by Rev. Mr. Forsythe. Among the original members were Messrs. Gray, Polk, R.W. Barclay and Mr. Hamilton. Some of the pastors have been Revs. Forsythe, Straghn, Umstead and Spears; present pastor, Rev. J.K. Hitner. The church building is brick, and the membership is about thirty-five.

The Oxford Union Sunday School was organized by Rev. John J. Dickey, and has an average attendance of about thirty children. - Perrin

Source:
History of Bourbon, Scott, Harrison & Nicholas Counties, Kentucky, Edited by William Henry Perrin, 1882
Previously submitted by Jo Thiessen