Oxford Past
Oxford, New Haven, Connecticut
 
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Wheeler/Osborn place
Riggs Street
 

Thanksgiving Day, 1953

   No longer standing, this house was the inspiration for this project. It was built on Riggs Street, in 1772, by Lt. Samuel Wheeler. The 1868 map shows the owner as Joel Osborn. The 1850 census gives those living with Joel as his wife, Catherine A. Osborn, age 27, their son, Orlando C. Osborn, her mother, Sally M. Washburn, age 54, and Samuel Wheeler age 81. This Samuel Wheeler was the father of Sally M. Washburn, and grandson of  Lt. Samuel Wheeler. 



   The photograph below shows the back door to the house. Just out of view, next to the well house, is a lilac.


July, 1954



Christmas, 1955
    In 1953 the house was purchased by my parents, Bill and Harriet Bauer, from Mrs. Emma Osborn, widow of Harold, who told them the house had been in the family for a number of generations. The Bauer's uncovered the original kitchen fireplace that had been covered up. They found the hearth stone across the street and put it back into place. The pots and hearth tools were found in the attic.





February 1956

The house had two more fireplaces downstairs, shown above and below.






   The photographs above and below are of the same hill and barn behind the house. The photo below gives a good view of the stone walls that separated the lots on the property.
At the bottom of the hill [above] the tall grass is a small swamp where the Riggs Street Brook ran behind the house.
   The above photograph shows Bill and Harriet Bauer behind the house as you are facing north east. The small building behind them sat about half way between the house and the larger barn in the other photographs. The building on the left in the photo below, sat directly across the 'road' from the building in the photo above.
   The barn on the left [above] is quite interesting.  This view does not allow you to see the brook, but it is between the barn and the person taking the picture.







Please help us to preserve Oxford history.

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