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Friday 2 September 2011

North East Oakland Historical Museum


1 North Washington Street, Oxford
The Michigan Historical Commission registered the building at this address as a Michigan Historic Site in September 1992.
Built around 1900 the original two storey brick building was bought by the Oxford Savings Bank and torn down to a terrazzo floor which still remains today, The bank rebuilt the structure with Indiana limestone and occupied the premises from 1922 to 1966.
Empty for several years it was donated to the Village of Oxford to House the North East Oakland Historical Society. Their museum was dedicated and opened to the public on August 5, 1972.
The Society maintains the museum which is staffed by volunteers. It’s open from 1 to 4pm on Saturdays and on Wednesdays in June, July and August.
The Society co-sponsors an annual “Somewhere in Time” historic home tour during August’s “Celebrate Oxford” festival. Different homes are chosen each year to highlight early village life.



Museum displays on the main floor include a Victorian parlour, a bed room and a music section with a square grand piano. On the lower level there is a collection of tools from the Old Tunstead Tin Shop (Est. 1862), hand tools from homes and farms as well as a turn of the century kitchen.

Old Tunstead Tin Shop tools
Farm and Hand Tools
 Showcases contain many fascination photos and mementoes of the past, Oxford High School graduates can view class pictures from the 1890s until today.

For some reason or another this post stayed as a draft since June 2010 without the photos now added.

5 comments:

Christine H. said...

Bob,
I posted a few real photo cards from Oxford some time ago. It's a small well-preserved town...but I'm so curious how you came to find out about it.

Bob Scotney said...

Christine - my daughter lives a few miles outside the town. We visit her and her husband (not forgetting her dogs) every year. It took me a while to get to the Museum - it's small but well worth it.

L. D. said...

There are some interesting shaped saws in the one display. I would enjoy seeing that place as it has a similar flavor of our old farming community's past.

21 Wits said...

Oh thanks for posting this. What a lovely looking place, that I'll have to visit myself when ever I get back to Michigan! They did a wonderful job and your photo makes it so inviting!

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Bob .. so pleased this got forgotten about and you posted now!

How interesting .. the Museum looks utterly fascinating .. cheers I enjoyed reading this .. Hilary