Exhibits.
Since the beginning of the Oxford Area Historical Association, it’s been our mission to present exhibits that bring Oxford history to life. Our new facility, The History Center, provides a wonderful exhibition space, allowing us to share pieces from our archive as well as traveling exhibitions that pertain to the Oxford area.
CURRENT EXHIBITION:
NOW THROUGH DECEMBER 2026
Our Agricultural Heritage
On display now through the end of 2026.
Open House – Sunday, May 31, 2026; 1 – 4pm
Allie Moo the animated milking cow will join us. Visitors will get a hands-on experience of milking a cow.
Our region, with its rich farmland, has long supported vegetable, grain, and feed crop farming. For a time Chester County, in no small part because of the Oxford region, was known as the “breadbasket of Philadelphia”. As neighboring populations grew more urban, animal husbandry increased, especially dairy farming. Cows in the Oxford area produced milk with a higher fat content, resulting in butter and ice cream being highly sought after.
Rising from this base of farming was the growth of agricultural commerce. This area, with its numerous creeks and streams supported a variety of mills which ground our grain into flour, wove textiles, sawed our lumber, and made fertilizer. Local dairies innovated with pasteurization and sanitary practices resulting in the birth of Grade A milk right here in Oxford.
Today as you travel Oxford’s back roads, the farms of the Amish, relative newcomers, dot the landscape alongside land which has been farmed by generations of the same family. The Agricultural Land Preservation Program assists in the protection of farmland through easements and grants.
As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, come experience this exhibit which highlights the agricultural heritage that has defined the Oxford area over the past 250 years and looks toward our agricultural future.
Oxford Area Historical Association History Center: 119 South 5th St., Oxford, PA
Hours: 9 AM – Noon on Tuesdays and Wednesdays or by appointment.