My interest in Oakley Farm began over 30 years ago when I first arrived in Cambridge, Maryland’s West End. At that time, I noticed references to Oakley Farm on some old deeds, but did not know its actual size, location, or significance. I was curious about the farm, but unfortunately was not able to find any information about it. Finally, about six years ago I had the time to take a deep dive into local 19th Century newspapers on microfilm at the library. And at the same time, I was alerted to the online land records at the courthouse. Primarily using these sources, I not only determined the boundaries of Oakley Farm, but also began to outline the history of Oakley Farm from original patent to Cambridge West End suburb. Once I had the basic outline, the information sources became clear, and the information collection picked up speed. I quickly discovered stories about the Oakley developers and settlers. I also found that 70% of the residences in the Cambridge Historic District are within the old Oakley Farm perimeter.
About a year ago I took a break from collecting information, so I could determine how to most effectively share Oakley’s past with anyone interested, from longtime residents to weekend visitors and everyone in between. That is when I decided to share this information via an Oakley Farm website. The site is far from finished, but I think this is a good time to share the timeline already chiseled into the website’s main page as well as the beginning of the Oakley narrative in the few stories I have posted. There should be many more stories posted in 2023. Many will be focused on the years 1880 to 1910. This is when the majority of the streets and houses were added and Oakley became a suburb. In addition to the posts, you will find an ever-increasing number of Oakley facts under the Oakley’s Acorns tab. Lastly, there is a Views tab where there will be a selection of current and historic photos of Oakley Farm. By the way, I am looking for old photos to display on the Views tab. I would particularly like any pre-1950 exterior photos taken within the old Oakley Farm boundaries (see the map on the Home page). I am considering a number of new tabs for this site, but the next tab to be added is for information that residents often ask for. It will be a chart that displays the accurate year of construction of homes within the Oakley Farm footprint. It will initially be a partial list I have compiled based on documents I have researched, not based on general style of the house. By the way, throughout the website all the “facts” listed are based on document research.
Just a couple of other points about the website. My stories posted go all the way back to the 17th Century because Oakley Farm was originally patented in 1682 as Foulkes Content. And the stories posted may include people and places that were miles away from Oakley because Oakley land was at one time part of larger tracts of land, notably Lockermans Regulation (1715).
This is a work in progress that I hope will improve over time. That goal will be much more attainable if you provide me with feedback.
Please email your questions, suggestions, requests, critiques, information, historic West End photos etc. to: [email protected]
I will respond in a timely manner. Later we may also add a discussion forum to the site, but it is not available now.
Ron Berman – 2/2/2023