Oxford is one of the oldest towns in Maryland. The town began between 1666 and 1668 when 30 acres were laid out as a town called Oxford by William Stephens, Jr.. Oxford and a new town called Anne Arundel (now Annapolis) were selected the only ports of entry for the entire Maryland province. Until the American Revolution, Oxford enjoyed prominence as an international shipping center surrounded by wealthy tobacco plantations. - wikipedia.org

Completed in 1928, the original building, now the Oxford Community Center, first served as the Oxford School. The stately brick structure was designed by Annapolis-born Architect Henry Powell Hopkins (1891-1984), who served among other roles as Colonial Annapolis’ architect for development. J. H. Hammond oversaw construction of the 9,951 square foot building, with a cost of $41,951, or $4.22 per square foot for final construction. The community’s interest in the building came early on, with Oxford residents using the school for community gatherings and raising money to restore columns once cut to save cost from the original design. For 43 years, the school met the educational needs of the community – first as a high school and later as an elementary school.

In 1971, the school was declared surplus for educational purposes by the Talbot County Council and shut down. Read more about how the Oxford community Center came to be.