Oxford

Chartered in 1836 on Chickasaw cession land, Oxford was named for the university town in England and became home to the University of Mississippi in 1848. During the Civil War, Generals Grant and Sherman met in Oxford in 1862, and the Square and many homes were burned by Union troops in 1864. Oxonians suffered the yellow fever epidemic of 1878 with other Mississippians. In 1962, riots accompanied the integration of Ole Miss as it became the first integrated university in the state; since then the city has worked to build a more progressive community. The first presidential debate of 2008 was held at Ole Miss. Nobel laureate William Faulkner, U.S. Supreme Court Justice L.Q.C. Lamar, Secretary of the Interior Jacob Thompson, scholar F.A.P. Barnard, scientist and physician Arthur C. Guyton, M.D., and best-selling author John Grisham have called Oxford home.

Oxford, Mississippi · United States