Oxford held its first ever Lickskillet Festival over the Memorial Day weekend. The name “Lickskillet” has had a big impact on the city of Oxford. During the Lickskillet Festival, the fire department had a special surprise they were handing out. They found copies of a centennial program from way back in 1960. That’s right; Oxford held its 100th anniversary in 1960. But, Oxford was not first formed in 1860. The city was first incorporated in 1852 by the Alabama legislature.
But, the first charter was found to be inadequate. And the Alabama legislature came back in 1860 to re-incorporate the city. The city has had plenty of big events happen. For example, the railroad that goes through the center of town was first built by the Alabama and Tennessee Railway between 1859 and 1862. The extended railroad from Guntersville was used mostly for an army concentration camp near Blue Mountain in Anniston.
Oxford used to also have the Oxford Iron Company which was a charcoal furnace that helped to make iron used to create cannons, shots, and shells for the Confederate Ordnance Department. Oxford used to also have something called the Dudley Snow Rangers, which were used to train Confederate soldiers. The Rangers eventually became the Company D 51st Alabama Cavalry. There is also a lot of history about Oxford Lake. The lake was first planned in 1888 and the lake was built around 1889.
Also, Oxford used to have its own college. Yep, there were two big universities in Calhoun County. Oxford College was formed in 1867. The college operated for 31 years and its mission was to help Oxford grow by educating their citizens. The school closed down in 1888, and the main building stood until 1953 when it was razed. The program also had plenty of classic photos of the people in Oxford. And the program had plenty of classic ads. For example, there used to be Mell-O Ice Cream, Hart’s Bread, Foodtown, Dixie Auto Insurance, and other businesses that are not around today.
Below, is a presentation of all the pages in the 1960 Oxford Centennial program. Enjoy!
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