This settlement was described in 1865 as: “a small post village”, with a population of 120. Nevertheless, it had two hotels, William DeWinter’s Oxford Inn, and Magee’s Hotel. Archibald Magee was Innkeeper, the Coroner, a shopkeeper, and tavern owner. In 1856 he built a large wooden structure which served as a hotel and local meeting place for many years. The Township Council met here between 1857 and 1875, when the new Town hall was built, and the local Anglican congregation met here until their church was erected in 1869. In 1900, Ormand Barnard bought the property and used it as his workshop, and it was here he invented his curd cutting machine, patented in 1907. However, in November, 1939 it burned to the ground. It was never rebuilt.
Oxford Mills in 1865 had the usual complement of blacksmiths, carriage, saddle and harness makers, and three boot and shoe makers. John Foley ran a tailoring business, and William Rose was a brick maker. Two merchants served the inhabitants, John McPherson, and the real power in the hamlet, Richey Waugh. Waugh was the postmaster, owned the flour and saw mills, and ran his store from the premises now occupied by the Brigadoon Restaurant. Waugh had built the store, and later moved into another of his building across the street, the fine stone structure he used as his family residence. When this entry in the Gazetteer was being written, Waugh was actually starting a slow and sad decline in his fortunes. By that time, he was negotiating to sell his store, and by 1871 he had left the hamlet under a cloud.
