The Oxford School is a historic school building at 347 Main Street in

Fairhaven, Massachusetts Fairhaven (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ) is a New England town, town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located on the South Coast (Massachusetts), South Coast of Massachusetts where the Acushnet River flows into Buzz ...

, United States. Built in 1896 and enlarged in 1921, it was the town's first large elementary school, built for an part of the community which grew rapidly due to its proximity to the mills of

New Bedford New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast (Massachusetts), South Coast region. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, New Bedford had a ...

. The building, a good example of period neo-Classical architecture, was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 2023. It has been converted to residential use.

Description and history

The former Oxford School building is located in northern Fairhaven, at the southeast corner of Main and Morton Streets. It is an L-shaped structure two stories in height, with neo-Classical features. Its original main block is finished in red brick, with a projecting -story entry pavilion at the center of its symmetrical facade. The main block is connected via a narrow connector at its rear to a wide two-story extension, added in 2021-22 when the building was converted to residential use. The school's main block was built in two stages. The first part, built in 1896, was five bays deep and three wide; the second, added in 1914, was also five by 3, giving the building its present symmetrical appearance. It was the town's first large-scale elementary school, built to meet demand caused by residential growth. This growth was spurred by the construction of a bridge across the

Acushnet River The Acushnet River is the largest river, long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 flowing into Buzzards Bay in southeastern Massachusetts, in the United St ...

, opening the area to workers in the mills of New Bedford. The school was again enlarged in the early 1950s; this addition was demolished as part of the 2021-22 residential conversion. The original building contains a bell made by

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

icon

Paul Revere Paul Revere (; December 21, 1734 O.S. (January 1, 1735 N.S.)May 10, 1818) was an American silversmith, military officer and industrialist who played a major role during the opening months of the American Revolutionary War in Massachusetts, ...

in 1796. The bell was purchased to be placed on top of Oxford School in 1915, and was temporarily removed between 2015 and 2021 during renovations to allow for restoration of the

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, usually dome-like structure on top of a building often crowning a larger roof or dome. Cupolas often serve as a roof lantern to admit light and air or as a lookout. The word derives, via Ital ...

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Fairhaven, Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Bristol County, Massachusetts

Description and history

See also

References