TOWNS
Oxford County administrative offices are located at 26 Western Avenue, South Paris, ME 04281; phone: 207-743-6359.
Oxford County as described in 1881 [1]
Soon after the downfall of the French power in the north relieved the inhabitants of the northern border from the fear of Indian wars, attention turned more strongly to the lands of Maine. In 1762 a township of land on Saco River was granted to Gen. Joseph Frye, a native of Andover, Mass., and a distinguished soldier during the French and Indian wars. This was the first grant made within the limits of Oxford County, and received the name of Fryeburg. Its settlement began the following year. Other grants followed, and settlements were made in Waterford, Bethel, Rumford, Paris, Hebron, Buckfield, and others in succession. The territory now embraced by the county of Oxford was originally embraced in York, as, in fact, was also the whole of Maine. In 1760 Cumberland County was formed, embracing the whole of the present Oxford, with the exception of a few western towns. Oxford County was formed by an act approved March 4, 1805, from portion of York and Cumberland, Paris being fixed upon in the act as the shire town. The southern tier of towns in the county, were Turner, Hebron, Norway, Waterford, Lovell, Denmark, Hiram and Porter, and included all the territory north of these towns, between New Hampshire on the west and Kennebec County on the east, to Canada. In 1838 the county of Franklin received five towns and a large number of plantations from Oxford, constituting more than half its territory. In 1854 it relinquished two towns to form Androscoggin County. It now has 35 towns and 3 organized plantations. Its area is abou t 1700 square miles.