The Oxford Caramel Company Submitted by Gail Roberts, Oxford Area Historical Association Known locally as the Oxford Caramel Factory, this company had different names and changed ownership throughout the years. It first came to Oxford as the W.F. Parker & Company with William F. Parker and Charles M. Parker as major shareholders. It was also operated under the following names: the Williams Caramel Company, the Breish Williams Company and the Oxford Confectionery Company. Railroads came to Oxford in 1860. The Central Division of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore, and the narrow gauge Lancaster, Oxford and Southern Railroads allowed Oxford to trade more easily with surrounding counties. The railroads facilitated Oxford continuing to be a center of trade between Philadelphia and Baltimore and allowed for the development of commercial and manufacturing interests. At about 1870 Oxford began the change from a mostly agricultural community to one which featured a variety of industries. Oxford experienced accelerated growth in the 1890s. The Oxford Land and Improvement Company, whose directors included merchants and bankers, was established in 1891 in order to attract new businesses to town. They had visions of developing an industrial area in the southeast portion of the Borough. This company sold stock to raise money to purchase land on the south edge of Oxford. The company planned to donate land grants to manufacturers to encourage them to locate in Oxford. They would also offer to help with the building and equipping of plants. New industries could be exempt from taxes for 10 years. The first sale of lots owned by this company took place in September of 1891. A large tract of land was divided into 100 lots. The town made this an event a celebration 62
Spring/Summer 2022 | Volume 48
Workers in the Oxford Caramel Factory. which included band music to welcome visitors. Free train rides to Oxford were offered. Among the visitors were W.F. Parker, his family and employees. Henry Cope of Lincoln purchased the first two lots for $325. Charles M. Parker, brother of W.F Parker, purchased two lots. A total of 42 lots were sold. W.F. Parker had operated a caramel business located on Twentieth and Market Streets in Philadelphia since 1882. He needed a large quantity of milk for the production of caramels, about 4,000 to 6,000 quarts a day. Mr. Parker was interested in coming to Oxford because of the supply of milk available and lower costs of doing business. He entered into bonds with the Oxford Land and Improvement Company for land which fronted on South Street. The Oxford Land and Improvement Company had the land surveyed. Four new streets were created: Jacobus, Franklin, Garfield
Courtesy photo. and Grant. The caramel factory building would be located at the corner of South and Franklin. Another organization, the Oxford Board of Trade was organized in 1892 and was a predecessor to the Chamber of Commerce. Their purpose was to promote the town of Oxford and represent the business owners. This organization had about 100 members initially. One of them was Milton Walker, Oxford’s well-known carpenter and contractor. Milton Walker also served as Chief Burgess (like today’s mayor) beginning in 1891. One of his roles was to chair Borough Council meetings. In July of 1891, the council passed an ordinance to encourage the new caramel business to locate in Oxford. The ordinance exempted this company from local taxes for 10 years as long as the company employed a minimum of 100 people during that time period.
