Way Back Wednesday in Calhoun County---August 29-September 4

The southern portion of Calhoun County was settled in the early 1830s by two families, the Snows and the Simmons. Dudley Snow and his younger brother, Fielding, had come from Roane County, TN in the 1830s to settle in the foothills of Alabama. The brothers purchased land from the Creek nation. Dudley’s land, near modern-day Quintard Mall, was his homestead and farm until he died in 1863.

Oxford’s growth was limited until the 1850s. In 1851, the two original founders of Oxford, Dudley Snow, E. L. Simmons, and S. C. Williams, offered land for sale. The land parcels were for both business and residential. Those wishing to purchase the land had to contact the founders. The small hamlet was not incorporated until 1852 when the town population was about 200. It would still be another ten years before the Selma railroad line was completed.

Around 1861, the Selma-Rome-Dalton Railroad line was completed at Oxford. Just before the rail line was completed the town had two stores. The local real estate agents offered property for sale which was considered an opportune time to purchase land. This was considered an opportune time to purchase land in Oxford before the railroad came to town.

The Civil War was difficult on Oxford. The town established the Dudley Snow Rangers to serve in the conflict. In 1865, Oxford, home to an iron furnace that supported the Confederate war effort, was the victim of General John Croxton’s raid. Croxton, on his way to Tuscaloosa, burned all the buildings in Oxford.

The downtown area of Oxford started rebuilding almost immediately after the war. Daniel Draper and his sons opened a bank as well as acted as the town cotton merchants. In July 1871, the Masonic Hall in Oxford was dedicated. The Grand Master of the State attended the service along with 600 to 700 people. The speaker for the day was Col. John H. Caldwell.

By the 1880s, the town of Oxford was still small with only a population of about 780 but it was starting to grow. There was a boomtime where homes and business were built. The town had become a cotton market town and a railroad terminal for two rail lines. The downtown business district had McKibben and Sons Furniture, as well as R. P. Thomason Dry Goods, Lee Morgan and Co. General Merchandise and Spirits, and Mrs. M. J. Anderson’s Central Hotel on Main Street. On Choccolocco Street, there was J. M. Stuart and Co wagon builders. Clark Snow operated a leather and carpenter shop near the business district. The town also had a militia, the Oxford Rifles.

Like most towns of the 1880s, Oxford experienced two fires, 1883 and 1885. The 1883 fire destroyed James Draper’s bank and wholesale grocery and the rest of the block to C. J. Cooper’s concrete-block building. After the fire, the looting of businesses became a problem. The fire in 1885 happened in the middle of the night and was prevented from doing more damage thanks to Cooper’s concrete-block building. The fire started from a swinging lamp at the Central Hotel which was completely destroyed. The Humphries and Ingraham’s General Merchandise store under the hotel along with Callahan’s Billiards, Cowen’s Tin shop, and McCain’s Drug Store were all burned. The estimated damage was $20,000.

Even with the fires, Oxford still prospered during the 1880s. The town saw industry move into the area including cotton seed-oil mill, cotton cord and twine mill, a linter ginnery, a fertilizer plant and several other cotton-related businesses. The town remained small until the 1950s when Oxford was chosen for a section of Interstate-20. After I-20 was built, Oxford’s growth continued even when other towns in the area declined in the late 20th Century.

To learn more about the history of Calhoun County pick up a copy of Images of America: Calhoun County (ISBN 978-0738589985), Anniston (ISBN 978-0738506012), or Anniston Revisited (ISBN 978-1467114752) by Kimberly O’Dell.