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Oxford Map and History
Oxford is one of the oldest towns in Maryland. Although already settled for perOxford haps 20 years, Oxford The Strand Tilghman St. Market St. High St. East St. Division St. Oxford Road Benoni Ave. Pleasant St. Robes Hbr. Ct. South Morris Street Bachelor Point Road Pier St. E. Pier St. Bonfield Ave.Third StreetJack’s Pt. Rd.First Street 2nd St. W. Division St. Caroline St.West St. Tred Avon Ave. Myrtle Ave. Sinclair St. Richardson St.South Street Town Creek Rd. Wilson St. Stewart Ave. Norton St. Mill St. Jefferson St. Banks St.Factory St.Morris St. Oxford Community Center Oxford Park Bellevue Ferry T r e d A v o n R i v e r Town Creek Oxford To Easton 333 8 1 2 3 7 9 10 11 13 15 16 17 18 19 4 56 12 14 © John Norton marks the year 1683 as its official founding, for in that year Oxford was first named by the Maryland General Assembly as a seaport and was laid out as a town. In 1694, Oxford and a new town called Anne Arundel (now Annapolis) were selected the only ports of entry for the entire Maryland province. Until the American Revolution, Oxford enjoyed prominence as an international shipping center surrounded by wealthy tobacco plantations. Today, Oxford is a charming tree-lined and waterbound village with a population of just over 700 and is still important in boat building and yachting. It has a protected harbor for watermen who harvest oysters, crabs, clams and fish, and for sailors from all over the Bay.
For a walking tour and more history visit https://tidewatertimes. com/travel-tourism/oxford-maryland/.
least of the brutality in a contest that combined the worst of kickboxing, wrestling and X-treme sport. A ring fatality had recently caused a lull in prizefighting, but interest revived when newspapers ballyhooed an upcoming heavyweight battle for “Champion of America.” One New York newspaper reported never having “seen so great an excitement among certain classes of society. . . .”
As in any duel, the boxers’ agreement called for designated seconds to conduct formalities. Sullivan chose his Baltimore friend Joseph Beard, a noted sportsman. Beard owned oyster boats and knew the Chesapeake well. When Sullivan drew the right to choose a site, he chose Pooles Island, where an old lighthouse stood under federal jurisdiction. Its remote location off the mouth of the Gunpowder River suggested they might avoid law enforcement, boxing being illegal at the time.
Hype about the illicit grudge match grew as the fighters, their sparring partners and their entourages progressed from New York down to Baltimore. Despite record-setting cold, a growing crowd of spectators was drawn to the bout, set for February 7, 1849. Ads instructed interested parties to be at Union dock on the eve of the fight to board a steamboat for
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an undisclosed site. How could a sporting man resist?
As fight fans boarded the steamboat on the frigid morning of February 6, the Law was on the case. According to one witness, “A tremendous crowd was on the Steamer Boston . . . but the steamer was held by the authorities and could not get off.” Police searched among passengers for Sullivan and Hyer. At the time, the two fighters and their associates had already set sail, jammed among an estimated 200 men aboard two schooners, likely Beard’s oyster boats.
When the High Constable of Baltimore, Captain Thomas Gifford, failed to find the principals aboard the Boston, he took a squad overland, then rowed for frosty Pooles Island. Sullivan and Hyer had debarked on the island and taken refuge with the lightkeeper. In the middle of the night, boatloads of law enforcement officers landed.
Alerted that police neared, quick-thinking Joseph Beard took Sullivan’s distinctive green robe from his shoulders and draped it around a larger sparring partner, then did the same for Hyer. Arriving officers wrongly arrested the two training partners. Captain Gifford returned to Baltimore with the wrong men, while Sullivan and Hyer slipped out and set sail through falling snow for the Eastern Shore. They tied up at Point Rock by Still Pond Creek in Kent
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It was reported that an unnamed landowner, perhaps a friend of Beard, had conveniently departed earlier for Pooles Island. In his supposed absence, measurements were paced off on snowy ground and spiked poles driven down to outline the ring. Schooner halyards improvised as ring ropes. Two carts were drawn up as premium seating, while the balance of the estimated 200 spectators stood on stones or logs to be off the snowy ground. Bricks were warmed for the waiting fighters’ feet.
Flight-and-fight culminated in a bout that lasted roughly seventeen minutes. In the bare knuckle era, a round was not timed with a bell. More like a wrestling match, rounds ended whenever a fighter went down. In seventeen minutes of action, sixteen rounds occurred,
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Jewelry by Joan’s Gems Local Artwork Handmade Pottery and Mosaics Port of Oxford Merchandise T-shirts & More! Furniture Painting Classes Available, Register Online
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only one pin attributed to Sullivan. When Hyer was pulled off the little Irishman the final time, Sullivan was badly cut, one wrenched arm hanging uselessly.
A newspaper described the “shameful affair” in gory, blow-byblow detail. Reportedly, a punch detached a flap of skin above Sullivan’s left eye that was pinned up to enable him to see. Another blow to the back of his head felled him, rendering him momentarily unconscious. To sum up, the headline declared, “Sullivan Not Expected to Live.”
Meanwhile, back in Baltimore, police learned they had impostors locked up. Two companies of militia set off by steamer, searching the Bay for the real Sullivan and Hyer. The Sun reported, “We are told that the surgeons carried instruments and lint for the wounded.” After running aground, they returned empty handed.
The victorious Hyer made the mistake of a post-fight visit to Chestertown, where he was promptly arrested and charged with assault and battery. His lawyer argued that the bout had been amicable sport, but Hyer was found guilty and fined $1,000. Sullivan survived the match but, abashed in every sense, joined the ongoing Gold Rush to California, where his luck failed to improve.
Open for Dinner Wednesday-Sunday inclusive, Lunch Friday & Saturday, Brunch Sunday & Breakfast Thursday through Monday inclusive THE ROBERT MORRIS INN 1710 OXFORD MD
314 NORTH MORRIS STREET ٠ OXFORD ٠ 410 226 5111 WWW.ROBERTMORRISINN.COM 111
The day after the fight, halffrozen, disillusioned spectators began to trickle back into Baltimore. Constable Gifford’s brother Jim described meeting such an acquaintance: “I met Mr. Alexander Thompson coming down the street, tired to death and almost starved from having been away from any place where food was to be had. He said, ‘The great fight is over, and I’m dying for a cup of hot coffee.’”
In today’s world, we can be grateful that over-hyped events are generally well provisioned.
Forty-some years ago, A.M. Foley swapped the Washington, D.C., business scene for a writing life on Elliott Island, Maryland. Tidewater Times has kindly published portions of one upcoming work, Chesapeake Bay Island Hopping, along with other regional musings. Foley’s published works are described at www.HollandIslandBook.com.
TIMOTHY B. KEARNS
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Tidewater Residential Designs since 1989
Oxford Business Association May Calendar
Spring is here! Pope’s Tavern is opening under new ownership and will feature homemade pastas. Capsize and Scottish Highland Creamery have opened for the season and the Robert Morris Inn, Doc’s Sunset Grille, Latitude 38 and Oxford Social will have expanded days and hours. Come for lunch or dinner and enjoy the views. Stroll our bucolic streets and shop at our unique shops for those one of a kind items. Sit for a while in Town Park, unwind and watch the boat races. Oxford - Bellvue Ferry will begin operation on May 1, pending completion of its USCG inspection, (call 410745-9023 for updates). Check restaurant and shop websites or facebook for updated hours. 1 – Cars and Coffee - Anyone can come out and enjoy cars, coffee, and camaraderie. Sponsored by Prestige Auto Vault and Doc’s Sunset Grille. Oxford Community Center. Free; 8:30 -10:30 a.m. the 1st Sat. of each month. Oxfordcc.org; 410-226-5409 2 – Love Letters, by A.R. Gurney - Tred Avon Players free, outdoor readers theatre. Bring a lawn chair and picnic to the Oxford Community Center, 200 Oxford Rd.; 3 p.m.. RSVP required @ oxfordcc.org. 3 – Intermediate Furniture Painting Class – Learn how to use waxes and color blending. Materials provided. 10% off any paint or supplies purchased the night of the class. 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.; $45; The Treasure Chest, 111 S. Morris St. Limited to 4, social distancing, mask required. Visit treasurechestoxford.com 6 – Sign Painting Class - Dixie Belle Chalk Mineral Paints, paint a plaque and apply an inspirational word transfer. Materials provided. 10% off any paint or supplies purchased the night of the class. 5:30 – 7 p.m.; $36; The Treasure Chest, 111 S. Morris St. Limited to 4, social distancing, mask required. Visit
treasurechestoxford.com
9 – The Velocity of Autumn - Tred Avon Players free, outdoor readers theatre. Bring a lawn chair and picnic to the Oxford Community Center, 200 Oxford Rd; 3 p.m. RSVP required @ oxfordcc.org (due to space limitations). Will be moved indoors if inclement weather. 13 or 21 – Bring Your Own Piece Furniture Painting Class. Two opportunities to learn how to use chalk mineral paint to paint and seal it! The class price includes an 8-oz. jar of paint and an 8-oz. jar of sealer for you to keep and take home after the class. The Treasure Chest, 111 S. Morris St; 5:30-8:30 p.m.; $65; Limited to 3, social distancing, mask required. Pick your date and sign up at treasurechestoxford.com or call 410-924-8817. 14-16 - Virtual Art Show & Sale - 50 artists; VIP early preview available. Art Raffle; Virtual Studio Tours; On-site Demo’s (limited attendance); Visit oxfordcc.org for more info and Meet the Artist bios. 17 – SILK All-In-One Mineral Paint Demo & Instruction Learn how to use Dixie Belle’s new Silk All-In-One mineral paint. The Treasure Chest, 111 S. Morris St; 5:00-6:00 p.m.; $10 pp; Limited to 6 participants, social distancing, mask required. For more info or sign up, go to treasurechestoxford.com or call 410-924-8817. 26 – All About Waxes to Finish Your Chalk Mineral Paint Project Learn about finishing your chalk mineral paint furniture by using decorative waxes. 10% off all paint product purchases during the class. The Treasure Chest, 111 S. Morris St; 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.; $36 pp; Limited to 4 participants, social distancing, mask required. For more info or sign up, go to treasurechestoxford.com or call 410-924-8817. 29 – Spring Zing! Yoga Workshop - Geared to all levels. Oxford Community Center. 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. $45. Pre-registration required @ oxfordcc.org.
Tred Avon Yacht Club – race schedule and updates available at http://tayc.com/racing Check www.portofoxford.com calendar for event updates and ongoing events.
Oxford Business Association ~ portofoxford.com
