The city of Oxford hasn’t always looked the way it does today. Before the brick roads, the restaurant chains and the bars, it was a village with about 700 people, according to the city’s website.
Oxford didn’t become an actual city until 1960. From then until now, much has changed while also staying the same.
To get a look at how different Oxford is compared to its early days, I created a set of comparable photos of Uptown. This particular set of images from the Smith Library of Regional History shows that much of Uptown remains unchanged. The storefronts may have evolved over the years, but much of what is recognizable of Oxford dates back in the early 1900s.
To get a more detailed look at what the city once looked like, the Smith Library has also created a self-guided walking tour of Oxford.
High St. looking East during the early 1900s. Photo provided by the Smith Library of Regional History.
High St. looking East in 2020. Photo by Mallory Hackett.
W. Park Place in the early 1900s. Photo provided by the Smith Library of Regional History.
W. Park Place in 2020. Photo by Mallory Hackett.
Adams Drug Store in 1915. Photo by Frank R. Snyder and provided by the Smith Library of Regional History.
The McCullough Block in 2020. Photo by Mallory Hackett.
E. High St. in the early 1960s. Photo by George R. Hoxie and provided by the Smith Library of Regional History.
E. High St. in 2020. Photo by Mallory Hackett.
29 W. High St. in the early 1900s. Photo provided by the Smith Library of Regional History.
29 W. High St. in 2020. Photo by Mallory Hackett.
Uptown Parks in the early 1900s. Photo by Frank R. Snyder and provided by the Smith Library of Regional History.
Uptown Parks looking East in 2020. Photo by Mallory Hackett.
20 W. High St. in the 1940s. Photo provided by the Smith Library of Regional History.
20 W. High St. in 2020. Photo by Mallory Hackett.
Miami Western Theatre in 1941. Photo by the Recensio and provided by the Smith Library of Regional History.
The Brick Street Bar in 2020. Photo by Mallory Hackett.
The post office on W. High St. Photo by Frank R. Snyder and provided by the Smith Library of Regional History.
The Oxford courthouse in 2020. Photo by Mallory Hackett.