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Oxford Historical Society

Post Office Box 582,   Oxford, Connecticut, 06478


Twitchell-Rowland-Homestead

Twitchell-Rowland Homestead
60 Towner Lane, Oxford
Future Home of Our
History Education Center & Museum

 

"First Look" held twice!

The Oxford Historical Society held our "First Look" at the homestead on Saturday, Oct. 29.  Because of the snow storm many people missed the opportunity to see the house, so the Society held a second open house on Sunday, Dec. 4.  

See News articles about the events:

The building is listed in the Connecticut Register of Historic Places.  The Society has renovated the first floor of the building for use as a local history educational center and museum. 

The Twitchell-Rowland Homestead was built in the 1750's by Joseph Twitchell.  It remained in the family for many generations.  It was later owned by a variety of farm families.  The Rowland family purchased the farm in the early 1900's.  Eventually, Manuel Moutinho's Mark IV Construction company acquired the property.  He developed the property, now known as Glendale.  When preparing to develop the land, the decision was made to demolish the homestead.

Through the willingness of Moutinho to allow the historical society to move the homestead, and the generosity of Fred and Myrtle Rowland to donate land on Towner Lane for the house, demolition was avoided.

The Town of Oxford supplied half the cost of the approximately $60,000 spent on moving day, and the rest was raised through private donations, grants, and society fund-raising.

The actual moving of the homestead was on September 28, 2006, thanks to the cooperation of CL&P, Valley Cable, and SNET whose crews worked together to raise and lower all the utility wires to allow the move.  The house went three-tenths of a mile from its original location to 60 Towner Lane.  There it was placed in a trench that had been prepared by volunteers Robbie Robinson and Fred Schiavi, with help from Donnie Rich and Ronald Stebar.

The movers left the house on I-beams supported by blocks.  The Society hired two restoration carpenters to install new sills.  Thanks to the donation of thousands of dollars worth of concrete and concrete blocks, plus the volunteer labor of mason Gary Pelletier,  the foundation was raised under the homestead.  The final removal of the I-beams was accomplished on June 1, 2007.

Since that date, members of the Society and volunteers from the community have devoted hundreds of hours, painting, repairing and renovating the homestead to bring it up to current fire and building code requirements.  Girl Scouts and Master Gardeners have worked on the period-appropriate garden in front of the homestead.  Boy Scouts worked together on Jay Ernst’s Eagle project to install an accessible ramp.  The Society has benefited through donations of money and material from over 500 Oxford residents to prepare the homestead as Oxford's first museum.  Major grants from the Valley Community Foundation, the Naugatuck Savings Bank Foundation, and the Katherine Matthies Foundation greatly helped the project..


Society Photo Collection Grows:

The Oxford Historical Society has received  many class photographs from Oxford Center School.  The photographs are being scanned and filed for preservation in our archives.

Residents are asked to help identify the students and teachers in the photographs.  You may see our growing collection here:


Oxford Centralized School:


1963-64
1964-65 
1965-66 
1966-67 
1967-68 
1968-69
1969-70 -MISSING!
1970-71
1971-72
1972-73
1973-74

More coming!

See how many
you can identify!
Please email your answers to: Photos@oxford-historical-society.org

Harriet's Quilt
An Oxford signature quilt from before the Civil War.
See information on the quilt and on the people who made and signed it:

HERE


Download a free Kindle copy of the book "Chauncey Judd,
or a Boy Stolen,"
by Israel P. Warren.
Story of burglery and kidnapping during the American Revolution, with parts of the story taking place in Oxford.

To download, RIGHT CLICK HERE and choose SAVE AS.  

 Want to help us get
ready for our openings?

Volunteer painters and carpenters are always appreciated.  If available to help, please email availability and phone number to dottie@oxford-historical-society.org


Thanks to all who
donate or volunteer --


Together we preserve
Oxford heritage!

Have Oxford History Items to Donate?

Collections Policy and Donation Agreement Form

Contact any Officer


Homestead in the Air, starting down Towner Lane.  09-28-2006
Photo by Cindy Joy

 
 






































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