OXFORD Continued

Lake Zoar
Kettletown Other interesting spots in Oxford include the Stevenson Dam on the Housatonic River, Zoar Lake and the Pomperaug Trail. Turn west on Barry Road south of the center of Quaker Farms and follow Barry Road to Kettletown State Park. Legend says this area gets its name because the property was purchased from the Indians with a copper kettle. Here there is picnicking, beaches, access to Lake Zoar, and access to the Pomperaug Hiking Trail,
which leads to the Stevenson Dam where there is more hiking, fishing and camping. To reach Kettletown State Park and the access to the Lake Zoar 2.5 mile Pomperaug Trail, take Route 188 south of Quaker Farms to Barry Road; west on Barry, right on Good Hill Road, right on Maple Tree Hill Road and left on Georges Hill Road to the Park Entrance. To reach the Stevenson Dam, take Barry Road, turn left onto Bowers Hill Road, right onto CopperMine Road to Route 34 to the Stevenson Dam. One of the most picturesque routes to take through Oxford is Route 188 west off of Route 67 as it winds through Quaker Farms and approaches the Stevenson Dam. Along this route are many of Oxford's oldest, most historic and architecturally interesting homes, as well as Christ Church. This Episcopal church was built under the supposition that it would be a community church, used by all denominations. The building was planned by George Boult of nearby Southford, an architect-builder who enjoyed a solid reputation as "a gentleman of extraordinary skill in the art of building." The design is particularly fine; in a Connecticut Tercentenary pamphlet, the church is rated as one of the eight most interesting in Connecticut.

Stevenson Dam
Church Paid For With Rum David Tomlinson, chairman of the building committee, allegedly promised five gallons of rum to the man who got the first main stick of timber on the ground, and that very evening the first timbers were hauled to the site. Cyrus Perry wrote in his diary that he drew the first stick of timber 64 feet long, but he didn't mention the rum. Chances are good that Perry got his rum; it was a common practice to promise rum in payment for this work, and it was one of the biggest expenses listed in the building of some old houses.
David Tomlinson, who was instrumental in building Christ Church, lived in the house across the street from the church at the next corner north. He came to Quaker Farms in about 1779 or 1781, where he was known as a merchant and an agriculturist with 1500 acres. He chartered vessels, fitted and put out to sea, and became known locally as Squire Tomlinson.