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Did you know Oxford, MD was voted best waterfront town in the world and is just 90 minutes from Washington DC?
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Oxford, MD – Nestled on the Eastern Shore, the Town of Oxford, Maryland is tiny, family friendly, and oh-so-serene ... until you scratch the surface, that is. Select a weekend when the town is hosting one of its many community events; make a reservation at one of its lovely hostelries; and enjoy the scenic drive (by car or boat) to the center of town. There you’ll begin a destination experience loaded with history, heritage, and charm – perfectly sized for a satisfying walk.
A bit of background: The Town of Oxford may be one of the smallest municipalities listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s certainly had more than its fair share of historic reinventions over the centuries: it was founded in 1683; thrived as an international shipping center and tobacco farming hub until the American revolution; endured a century-long slumber when wheat replaced tobacco as a cash crop; emerged from the Civil War as America’s capital of oyster farming and processing; slipped back into quiescence for many years, sustained only by the watermen who continued to work the Tred Avon River; and today is a haven for residents and visitors who savor its timeless, tranquil, and intimate style.
The perfect way to explore it is by foot, using the Self-Guided Walking Tours pamphlet and map provided by the Oxford Museum, as well as tips provided by the town and county websites(information below) and Oxford’s ever-friendly residents.
Just a few of the must-visit spots:
• Some of the historic homes and other edifices on Morris Street date back to the 1770s, and most have fun and interesting histories. The crown jewel may be Robert Morris Inn, located at the foot of Morris Street near the ferry dock. Originally constructed in the early 1700s, by 1863 it was a boardinghouse, then a dining and dancing tavern, and later a hotel, a function it still serves today (with a few other uses along the way). The Dining Room at the Inn, overseen by celebrity chef and proprietor Mark Salter, occupies the original 1710 public rooms, complete with antique paneling and timber beams; Salter’s Tap Room and Tavern and the Veranda also offer atmospheric settings for plotting a course through town.
• Across the street is an exact reproduction of the original United States Customs House once located on a plantation across the river from Oxford. (Oxford was the first port of entry to the United States on the entire Eastern Shore.)
• The Oxford-Bellevue Ferry has a storied history unto itself, which captain-owners Tom and Judy Bixler will be happy to share with interested visitors.
• Heading back towards the heart of town, take a right at Lover’s Lane (between the Sandaway bed and breakfast and the Tred Avon Yacht club). At its foot is a lovely bench overlooking the Tred Avon River; on Friday evenings from May through October,strollers can catch the start of the weekly sailboat race as it launches from the club.
• The Town Park is a lovely place to relax, have a picnic (Oxford Market has all the fixins, from groceries to wine to a tasty deli), and enjoy the water views from a spot under a gracious and stately tree.
• Other beautiful and historic houses are located on Benoni and Tred Avon Streets.
• Schooner’s Restaurant, with its view of Town Creek, is the perfect place to relax and enjoy a refreshing drink while watching the workboats ply their trade.
• South Street was platted as early as 1707; it retained a traditional character of modest vernacular cottages built by watermen and shipwrights, and even some agricultural plots, until very recently.
• St. Paul’s Methodist Church, at the corner of Morris Street, was built in 1856. It features a rose window and gabled roof, among other interesting architectural details.
• The Oxford Museum itself has more than 2,000 artifacts illustrating the lives of residents since the late 1600s; over 4,500 visitors come through the Museum each year.
• The structure at 303 Market Street truly embodies the town’s enduring commitment to reinvention: it was built in 1920 as a shirt factory, then lived successive lives as a nylon hosiery factory, a dance hall, a wooden mast production shop, and then an apartment building. Currently it houses condominium units.
• The tall yellow building at 208 Tilghman was the school for Oxford’s African-American children. Later the building was used as a sail loft where Downes Curtis, a well-known sailmaker, plied his trade.
• The outdoor dining area at Masthead at Pier Street offers the ideal vantage point for enjoying a stunning sunset. For light offerings, drop by Pope’s Tavern at Oxford Inn between 5 and 6 p.m. to sample its Oxford Happy Hour.
• For dessert, there’s no better treat then an ice cream at Scottish Highland Creamery, voted the Best Ice Cream on the Eastern Shore for two years in a row.
• For more information on Oxford, Talbot County, and the Eastern Shore, as well as many fine fiction offerings, Mystery Loves Company Booksellers is a perfect port of call.
The sights and stories of this little town with a long history and even bigger heart – not to mention festivals, celebrations, cultural events, recreational opportunities, and fine lodging and dining options – promise to entertain the whole family. A walk about town is just the beginning!
The Town of Oxford, Maryland: docks, daydreams, discoveries, and so much more.
About Oxford, Maryland:
The historic town of Oxford, Maryland, founded in 1683, is located in Talbot County on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. Until the American Revolution, Oxford was an international shipping center, surrounded by tobacco plantations and home to a number of prominent national figures. Later it thrived on oyster harvesting and packing and other watermen’s trades, even as tourism and leisure activities increased. It guards its peaceful personality, architectural integrity, and small-town virtues to this day, while warmly welcoming visitors from right next door and around the world. The Oxford Business Association welcomes inquiries by telephone (1-410-745-9023) and at its website http://www.portofoxford.com/ ; and the Talbot County Office of Tourism offers comprehensive information and trip planning services and can be reached at: 1-410-770-8000 and on its website http://www.tourtalbot.org/.
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March 2011
New Study Shows Fast Walking Speed Associated With Longer Life
Carol Pearson | Washington February 16, 2011 - VOA
Photo: VOA Mazerine Wingate, 100 years old, has sharp eyesight, drives a car, still goes to work six days a week at a post office in the eastern state of Maryland, and advises it's important to keep moving, February 2011
People the world over are living longer, and now a new study shows who is likely to live the longest. The information could help doctors and others, including the elderly, plan goals for treatment and care.
Not many people who live to be 100 are still driving a car. But Mazerine Wingate is. His eyesight is still sharp, and not only that, he still goes to work six days a week at a post office in the eastern state of Maryland. He started his job as a janitor there when he was 60. And, you can find him keeping the post office spotlessly clean six days a week.
Wingate simply said, "I feel like working."
Wingate said he has no major health issues. Rob Parsell, the photographer who shot this interview, asked him for advice. Wingate's recommendation: "Keep moving. Keep moving."
"That's it? Just keep moving?" Parsell pressed.
"Keep moving," Wingate replied.
While it is unusual for people of that age to hold down a job, it is becoming more and more common to reach the 100-year mark. Dr. Neil Buckholtz at the National Institute on Aging said long life is a concern for governments the world over.
"The population, not only in the United States, but worldwide, of older people is increasing," said Buckholtz. "And actually, the fastest-growing group of people in the United States are those people over 85."
A new study shows a relationship between fast walking and life expectancy. For this study, researchers looked at walking speed and other health factors for almost 35,000 older adults. They followed the participants for up to 20 years. Dr. Stephanie Studenski at the University of Pittsburgh led the study.
"Your walking speed is a reflection of just how well many of your body's systems are doing," noted Studenski.
By timing walking speed and using the longevity charts, doctors can provide better care for their patients. For example, most doctors don't screen patients older than 70 for prostate cancer. But if a man is otherwise healthy and energetic, and expected to live at least 10 more years, he might benefit from the screening. For those who are less healthy, doctors could look for ways to improve their health and quality of life.
Dr. Studenski says the charts, while good, however, are not always indicators of longevity. Some people in good health just prefer to walk slowly.
New Study Shows Fast Walking Speed Associated With Longer Life
Article and video from VOA
Monitoring gait could help doctors assess health of older people
Rose Hoban | Durham, North Carolina 07 January 2011
How fast an older person walks could be an indicator of longevity.
Creatures tends to slow down as they near death. But doctors don’t use this knowledge as a way of evaluating what’s happening to their patients as they age. Stephanie Studenski, a geriatrician who specializes in the care of older people, wants to change that by finding a way to measure diminishing walking speed.
Studenski compares assessing how fast a person walks to weighing a patient. Doctors can look at their patients and see if they’ve gained or lost weight but they also put them on a scale. Why not do the same with gait?
"If we all already know it, and it's throughout science and its throughout experience, why are we not using it in health care? Why are we not using it in public health?" she asks. "Why don't people have this as part of their understanding as an indicator of health? And the reason I think it's not there is that there hasn't been any way to measure it."
Many long-term research studies of older people have collected data on how fast subjects walk. Studenski contacted the leaders of these studies and got them to give her their data about walking speed, the general health of subjects and their longevity. She collated information about nearly 35,000 people, including their ages, their walking speed and how long they lived. She found that information about walking speed was particularly useful to predict the lifespan for people older than 75.
"There is so much variability between people as they age, more than in any other point in life, once life experience and health and nutrition have influenced how our health is later in life," Studenski says. "And so older people are very different from each other. And so this allows us more individualized our understanding of what might lie ahead at age 70, 75, 80, 85."
Studenski has developed charts that people can use to look up their probability of being alive five or 10 years later according to their age, gender and walking speed. She says clinicians could use the charts to assess patients on a regular basis and track their progress.
"So we can sort of individualize our approach to healthcare planning, to medical management, perhaps to wellness planning more than just by age and gender."
Unfortunately, Studenski says there’s no evidence that people who work on improving their walking speed necessarily can extend their lives. But she does say more attention to walking speed can help doctors and families recognize if something’s wrong with a loved one sooner and take steps to get help.
Studenski’s research is published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Walking Speed Might Reveal How Long You'll Live Monitoring gait could help doctors assess health of older people - health article came from VOA.
Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge is a great place to walk - Eastern Shore of Maryland
Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, located 12 miles south of Cambridge, Maryland, was established in 1933 as a refuge for migratory waterfowl. The refuge includes more than 27,000 acres, composed mainly of rich tidal marsh characterized by fluctuating water levels and variable salinity. Other habitat types include freshwater ponds, mixed evergreen and deciduous forests, and small amounts of cropland and managed impoundments that are seasonally flooded for waterfowl use.
Originally established for migratory birds, primarily ducks and geese, Blackwater is one of the chief wintering areas for Canada Geese using the Atlantic Flyway. Geese number approximately 35,000 and ducks exceed 15,000 at the peak of fall migration, usually in November.
Blackwater is also haven for two of our nation's threatened or endangered species. The bald eagle (which has been upgraded from endangered to threatened) and Delmarva fox squirrels are regularly seen on the Refuge.
Getting There . . . Take Rt. 50 into Cambridge, MD. Turn south on to Rt. 16 at the Wal-Mart shopping center (across from the entrance to the Hyatt Regency). Travel approx. 7 miles to the town of Church Creek. Turn left on to Rt. 335. Travel approx. 4 miles, then turn left at Key Wallace Drive. Travel 1.5 miles to the Visitor Center, or 3 miles to access the Wildlife Drive.
