Checking Out Local History from the Oxford Public Library

by Renee Lipford

When I first moved to Pennsylvania ten years ago, one of the first things I did was join the Oxford Public Library.  I was interested in learning about the history of the area, and I was excited to find a whole section of books devoted to local history. 

One of the treasures I checked out was a little paperbound book called “Around the Oak”.  From this gem, I learned that Oxford, PA was first known as Hood’s Crossing.  The borough’s first building was called Hood’s Tavern, an inn which opened around 1754 and was a stopover for stagecoaches traveling between Philadelphia and Baltimore. 

I recall that the book offered quite a number of illustrations and photographs depicting historical sites in the area, plus brief but fascinating facts to wet my appetite.  Hood’s Tavern was depicted as a modest stone and log building.  The text informed me that the original tavern no longer exists, although the foundation is still evident in the basement of the Oxford Hotel, which now stands in its place.  After reading this, I couldn’t drive by the Oxford Hotel without searching its exterior for some signs of its humble beginnings.

Then, just three months ago, I stumbled on the opportunity to see Hood’s Tavern’s foundation for myself.  I was having a new bowling ball drilled, and the shop was located in the basement of a building about half a block away from the Oxford Hotel.  While I was waiting, I found myself studying the stonework on an interior chimney in the basement.  I then asked the man how old this building was and I commented that it was close in proximity to the oldest building in Oxford.  He said he didn’t know the age, but he said if I wanted to see something even older, I should follow him.  He led me down a long corridor connecting the adjacent basements to a room whose one wall was constructed of large stones.  As I ran my hands along the stones, I realized that I was touching the actual wall of Hood’s Tavern.  The illustration from “Around the Oak” popped into my mind, and a shiver ran down my spine.

Over the years, I have checked out quite a few other localized publications from the library, and in the process I’ve become better versed in subjects like Chester County’s role in the Underground Railroad and the humble beginnings of Lincoln University.  Recently, I’ve discovered the convenience of using the library’s online search tools to find more and more interesting books across a whole network of regional libraries.

Yet it was “Around the Oak”, a tiny pearl hidden among the hefty volumes found on the shelves of the Oxford Public Library, which sparked my interest and opened my eyes to the intriguing history that abounds around me.    My library helped to wet my appetite and continues to quench my thirst for knowledge.