History comes to life

This past Friday night volunteers installed two wheat paste murals of photos from this site that will be welcoming RAGBRIA riders into town on Friday, July 28. The first photo the riders will see is on the building just south of the The Depot Express on Wilson Street and features from top to bottom Genevieve Mahoney Murphy, Winnie McDonough Shay, and Nan McDonough Dwyer. A photo of the mural is below along with the original photo that was used to create the mural. In the original photo the women were standing on a ladder of the old water tank down by the railroad tracks. Note that in the first photo you can see the second mural in the background on the right hand side.

The second mural is installed on the north side of the Tweaked Too building and features 5 gentlemen standing on Augusta Avenue holding a ‘Welcome to Oxford’ sign that was used to welcome Harry Truman to town in 1948. Left to right the men are Jim Floerchinger, Clarence “Gloomy” Schalow, John “J.L.” Kinney, Ralph Thompson, and Irvin Duddleson. Both murals look amazing and much appreciation goes out to the artist, volunteers, and business owners whose generosity brought these images to life. Since these are wheat paste murals they are temporary but should last for at least a month, and hopefully longer. Locals be sure to plan a visit to Oxford to see them in person because they really are amazing and are sure to bring a smile to your face.

Fun find

I get so excited when I come across new-to-me old photos, and this is a great one! I found this on the Johnson County Historical Society Facebook page, which was also shared on the The Forgotten Iowa Historical Society Facebook page. I highly recommend following both pages as they post great old photos from across Iowa.

You’ll recognize the Ford Garage as that building is still standing on the corner of Augusta Avenue and Wilson Street and is now an apartment. That building has housed Luse Motors and the Oxford Beverage (along with other businesses) and you can see another photo of this building on the post from April 14, 2018. I love the old car out front, and is that a gas pump sitting next to it? It looks like it has “entry” written on it.

The building on the right was at one time the German Hotel on the land where city hall is currently located. You can see another photo of that building on the January 15, 2018 post. Interestingly, the photo posted in 2018 shows that the mural on the side of the building once said “Farmer’s Home” but it appears it was painted over or blocked off in this photo. What do you think that sign outside the entrance to this building is? It looks like it has a photo of a man on it.

Light Up Oxford

Don’t miss the fun events that the incredible Light Up Oxford committee has organized. It starts tomorrow (December 3) at 4:00pm, ends at 9:00pm, and will be sure to be lots of fun. There will options for all ages (shopping, eating, tree lighting, drinking, bonfires, santa, bingo, etc.) and many of the events are taking free will donations. Don’t be a scrooge – come on out and help Light Up Oxford. This will be sure to put you in the holiday spirit.

50th Class Reunion

The Clear Creek High School class of 1971 is having their 50th reunion on Saturday, October 2, 2021 at the Iowa City Elks Lodge 590. For more details please contact Pat Zimmerman. They will miss their classmates that have passed away: Janice Bigelow, Richard Bryant, Ron Hummer, Tom Louvar, Barbara Paintin, Sara Stimmel, Dave Stratton, and Steve Thompson.

August 6, 1971

A very important event in Oxford history occurred 50 years ago today. That was the day that Patty Thompson and Kevin Hackathorn were married at St. Mary’s Church! Be sure to wish them a happy anniversary if you see them.

Extracurricular Group?

This photo from the Saxton archives had the following names written on the back but didn’t indicate who was who: Nancy James, Jim Kennedy, Donald Terrell, and Delores Watson. I wonder if they were part of an extracurricular group – perhaps choir? What do you think, and do you recognize anyone else? Update:

Back row (left to right) Eugene, Delores Watson, and Nancy James.

Standing (left to right) Vernon Klimes and Jim Kennedy.

Seated (left to right): Bob McGurk and Don (Terrell or McGurk).

July 4, 1924

Happy 4th of July! Here is a neat program of the holiday festivities 97 years ago. This is from the Saxton family archives.

Oxford Brass Band 1892

Here we have the Oxford Brass Band from 1892. 1892! How amazing is it that this photo still exists? I wonder where this band performed – any ideas? This photo was submitted by Jim Tandy.

The Cool Kids

Like the previous photo, this was submitted by Jim Tandy and it looks like it was taken on the same day (December 6, 1926). I wonder if all of these students were in the same grade? Or in the band? Or in the same family? We may never know unless one of you can solve the mystery.

Winter school photo

This photo, submitted by Jim Tandy, was taken in front of the old school in Oxford. The students look pretty dressed up so I wonder what the occasion would have been. In the bottom right of the photo you can faintly make out “Oxford, IA 12/6/26” along with what is perhaps the name of the photography studio. It looks like most kids may be in high school with a few younger kids included. Recognize any faces?