This small building is all that is left of the largest structure ever built in Oxford, the Eastford Hall Hotel. By the eighteen eighties Oxford was already becoming a tourist destination. Benefitting from regular railroad and steamship service, thousands of visitors came to enjoy the scenery, food and air. As the US Government stated: “The 20-mile radius of Oxford MD was the healthiest air in the United States.”
In 1878, James Norris financed the construction of an ambitious three-story, wood-frame hotel on this spot overlooking the Tred Avon River, just south of the town square. The Eastford Hall Hotel, a sprawling complex, was built to serve hundreds of guests. A Washington correspondent wrote:
"Eastford Hall, Oxford, Md., August 10, 1880. The peace and quiet longed for by many of our people can be enjoyed by a visit to this place. The beautiful lawns and arbors of the surrounding town, with the green grassy yards, are lovely; the cool breeze from either side of the river is exhilarating, and bracing. Music every morning in the hallway summons the guests to breakfast. The dancing hall is open at 8 o'clock sharp every evening, and is comfortably crowded. The sunsets are perfectly grand, and are eagerly watched for by all. Fishing, crabbing, sailing, and rowing are but few of the many pleasures to be enjoyed while here.”
Despite these fine marketing efforts, James Norris went bankrupt in 1882. The building sat empty for a few years, then served as the home of the Maryland Military and Naval Academy.
See if Oxford Social Cafe is open today. You might want to stop for a cup of coffee now. John Thompson owned this building until 1950 and sold groceries, confectionery and later gasoline. There was a gas pump on the street. He also operated the town’s telephone system which had 17 exchanges. Then Jim Kreeger and finally the Bringmans also ran a grocery store which later moved across the street to our Museum site.
The next couple of stops can be enjoyed right from here.