The OHPC has a number of exciting new items to share with the Oxford, NC Community and beyond. Please read on to learn more about our new Self-Guided Historic District Walking Tours, the start of the 9th Annual Historic Photo Contest on July 1st, and our 2023 Stewardship Award Winner.
Oxford Historic District Walking Tours
The OHPC is proud to announce the newly revised City of Oxford Historic Districts Walking Tour Brochure. The updated brochure contains a historical summary of the history of the Main Street and College Street Historic districts, as well as maps and a legend to assist you in traversing the architectural splendor of Oxford's historic homes.
For a virtual Self-Guided Tour, you can even scan the PocketSight digital Self Guided tour QRC Codes, or visit www.pocketsights.com and search for Oxford Historic Districts Walking Tours.
Please find below links to access the above mentioned. You can also stop by the Granville Tourism Development Authority office in Downtown Oxford (124 Hillsboro Street) to pick up an official walking tour brochure. Last, but not least, the brochures also include QRC codes
PocketSights.com (Link to download Apple or Android apps for Self-Guided Tours)
For a virtual Self-Guided Tour, you can even scan the PocketSight digital Self Guided tour QRC Codes, or visit www.pocketsights.com and search for Oxford Historic Districts Walking Tours.
Please find below links to access the above mentioned. You can also stop by the Granville Tourism Development Authority office in Downtown Oxford (124 Hillsboro Street) to pick up an official walking tour brochure. Last, but not least, the brochures also include QRC codes
PocketSights.com (Link to download Apple or Android apps for Self-Guided Tours)
2023 Stewardship Award Winner Is.......!
The 2023 Stewardship Award Winning property is 129 W. Front Street. Congratulations!!! We will post a photo of the property and the owners very soon.
Oxford HPC 9th Annual Photo Contest - Starts July 1, 2023

The Oxford Historic Preservation Commission is accepting entries to its 9th Annual Photo Contest. Anyone that lives or works in Granville County with an interest in historic preservation and/or photography is invited to participate. There is no entry fee. The contest is open to all ages and has four categories: 1) Fall season—photos of any structure or any aspect of a structure during the Fall season 2) Winter season - photos of any structure or any aspect of a structure during the Winter season 3) Spring season – photos of any structure or any aspect of a structure during the Spring season 4) Summer season- photos of any structure or any aspect of a structure during the Summer season. All photos must be recent, i.e., taken in 2023 – 2024. The subject of the photo must be within the Historic Districts. Please check the HPC website at http://www.oxfordhpc.org for more details and to review the Historic District maps and download an entry form. Inquiries about the contest can also be e-mailed to oxfordhpc@yahoo.com. All submissions must be received by Friday, April 26, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. Winners will be announced at a special event in Oxford, NC (location to be determined). First Place winners will receive $100 cash. Second Place winners will receive $50. Third Place winners will receive $25.
Please take a moment to look at photo contest winners from years past here.
Please take a moment to look at photo contest winners from years past here.
Looking for Oxford HPC Guidelines? Click here.
Oxford is proud to have numerous structures of particular architectural significance which have been carefully preserved by their owners. Its two historic districts are an architectural mosaic of Greek Revival, Italianate, Victorian, and Queen Ann architecture built principally during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These properties are primarily residential, but include churches, government buildings, banks, tobacco processing facilities and other non-residential buildings which radiate out from the 1838 Granville County Courthouse along the central intersection of Hillsboro, Williamsboro, College and Main Streets. However, the historic districts have a sense of cohesiveness which comes from the many streetscapes displaying similarity of scale and materials.
Oxford’s locally designated historic districts – the College Street and the Main Street historic districts – share the boundaries of the Historic District registered in 1988 in the National Register of Historic Places, an honorary and official listing of cultural resources administered by the U. S. Department of the Interior.
The City of Oxford established the College Street Historic District and the Main Street Historic District in 2008. By designating local Historic Districts, the City of Oxford recognized the cultural, historic, and economic value of the area and committed to conserve, protect and enhance this valuable resource. For this purpose, it created the Historic Preservation Commission which is responsible for ensuring that all exterior changes to structures within the Historic Districts are appropriate to the style and era of their architecture.
Oxford’s locally designated historic districts – the College Street and the Main Street historic districts – share the boundaries of the Historic District registered in 1988 in the National Register of Historic Places, an honorary and official listing of cultural resources administered by the U. S. Department of the Interior.
The City of Oxford established the College Street Historic District and the Main Street Historic District in 2008. By designating local Historic Districts, the City of Oxford recognized the cultural, historic, and economic value of the area and committed to conserve, protect and enhance this valuable resource. For this purpose, it created the Historic Preservation Commission which is responsible for ensuring that all exterior changes to structures within the Historic Districts are appropriate to the style and era of their architecture.