The Oxford Museum opens its 2023 season with a look at commerce: From Colonial Port to Present, Oxford in Business.

From the mid-1800s to the 1930’s Oxford was a thriving port town fueled by tourism and the oyster boom, enabled by easy access to and from the town to other major cities by water and rail.  The population grew to 1,200, almost evenly divided between black and white residents, and their needs for goods and services grew exponentially.

This new exhibit looks at Oxford in those glory days, when over 68 businesses were operating in the village including 11 grocery stores, a bank, carpenters, dentists, doctors, milliners, livery stables and more. In comparison, the exhibit also presents a look at Oxford today, a town of nearly 800 full and part-time residents. A number of Oxford Business Association members have made contributions to the exhibit, sharing their stories including how their businesses connected to Oxford’s history.

The Oxford Museum opens on Oxford Day, Saturday, April 22, and will continue through the early fall. Hours are 10 am – 4 pm, Friday through Monday. Admission is free.

For more information, or to become a member, volunteer or docent, please email us.  theoxfordmuseum@gmail.com.

Buying food in metal cans at the market is something we do without thinking much about how those time saving cans got there.  For hundreds of years before canning societies preserved foods through drying, smoking, sugaring, freezing, and salting.  The ability to safely store and ship food in glass and metal canisters dates only to the early 1800’s and since then has had a tremendous impact on history. Locally, the impact of the canning industry on the Eastern Shore will be the subject of a program presented on November 10th at 5:30 pm at the Oxford Community Center.

Two speakers who know the canning industry well will present: one from the production end and the other from the consumer side.  They will share the history and impact of canning on the Eastern Shore and entertain with reminisces of packing untold numbers of cans for markets far and wide.

Speaking about the production end is Oxford’s Al Smith who began a career in the canning industry as a salesman with an office in Hurlock from 1958 to 1960.   His success selling cans led to a 42- year long career with the Continental Can Company from which he retired as Managing Director of their European operations based in the U.K.  Al will talk about the history of the industry and its impact on the economy of the Eastern Shore.

Leo Nollmeyer moved to Oxford as a teenager when his father bought a packing house which here named the Oxford Packing Company.  Leo worked at Oxford Packing for several years before turning to a career in finance.  Leo’s recollections of life in the seafood packing business will be entertaining as well as informative, especially his tales of misadventure transporting oysters and crabs to Baltimore via ferry.

Sponsored by the Oxford Museum in partnership with the Oxford Community Center, ‘Kicking the Can’ is one a series of public programs supporting the Smithsonian’s traveling exhibition ‘Crossroads’ which will be open to visitors at St. Paul’s church in Oxford from October 29 through December 16.  For more information go to https://www.oxfordmusemmd.org

Recently the Oxford Museum unveiled its latest exhibit celebrating farmers and farms on the Eastern Shore.  Rooted in the Land: A Tribute to Eastern Shore Farmers showcases poignant images by renowned photographer Edwin Remsberg. Edwin’s career as a photographer started at a young age through his connection to the agricultural community in Maryland. His first projects were with 4-H, the national agricultural youth organization, which allowed him to expand his family’s generational roots in agriculture and apply them to a new discipline. Edwin’s utilization of the camera as a way to communicate with the world lead him through a rich and varied photography career, as diverse as his skillsets. From sport to fine art, and even combat photography, Edwin has worked in 40 countries and all 50 states. He has become a storyteller with his imagery and keeps the themes and relationships he’s picked up along the way reflective of the photographer, the photojournalist, and the artist he has become.

Edwin’s photos are a perfect companion and segue to the forthcoming exhibit Crossroads: Change in Rural America, an exhibit from the Smithsonian’s Museum on Mainstreet program. Crossroads will include a number ofrelated programs offered by both the Oxford Museum and local and regional partners. For example, the Oxford Community Center will host a Farm to Table Dinner in the fall and the Museum will be hosting several educational programs including an on-site visit with local farmer Steve Cox on September 17.

Crossroads: Change in Rural America is part of Museum on Main Street, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and Maryland Humanities. The Crossroads exhibit will open at St. Paul’s Church, Oxford, on October 29th and run through December 16th. Exhibit days and times are Mondays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am to 4 pm.  The Remsberg exhibit will run concurrently at the Oxford Museum.

For more information contact the Oxford Museum at theoxfordmuseum@gmail.com,  or visit the website at www.oxfordmuseummd.org.    The Oxford Museum, A Special Place, A Special Heritage.

On Friday, August 13, the Oxford Museum will unveil its latest exhibit celebrating farmers and farms on the Eastern Shore.  Rooted in the Land: A Tribute to Eastern Shore Farmers showcases poignant images by renowned photographer Edwin Remsberg. Edwin’s career as a photographer started at a young age through his connection to the agricultural community in Maryland. His first projects were with 4-H, the national agricultural youth organization, which allowed him to expand his family’s generational roots in agriculture and apply them to a new discipline. Edwin’s utilization of the camera as a way to communicate with the world lead him through a rich and varied photography career, as diverse as his skillsets. From sport to fine art, and even combat photography, Edwin has worked in 40 countries and all 50 states. He has become a storyteller with his imagery and keeps the themes and relationships he’s picked up along the way reflective of the photographer, the photojournalist, and the artist he has become.

Edwin’s photos are a perfect companion and segue to the forthcoming exhibit Crossroads: Change in Rural America, an exhibit from the Smithsonian’s Museum on Mainstreet program. Crossroads will include a number of related programs offered by both the Oxford Museum and local and regional partners. For example, the Oxford Community Center will host a Farm to Table Dinner in the fall and the Museum will be hosting several educational programs including an on-site visit with local farmer Steve Cox on September 17.

The Crossroads exhibit will open at St. Paul’s Church, Oxford, on October 29th and run through December 16th. Exhibit days and times are Mondays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am to 4 pm.  The Remsberg exhibit will run concurrently at the Oxford Museum.

For more information contact the Oxford Museum at 410-226-0191 or visit the website at www.oxfordmuseummd.org.  The Oxford Museum, A Special Place, A Special Heritage.