In our wandering society, there’s something almost suspect about living your life in the same town in which you grew up. As Americans, it’s practically part of our genetic code that, like our pioneer foremothers and fathers, we move out into the world to seek opportunities we can’t possibly imagine we’d find at home. We head for parts unknown, looking for excitement, romance, or the next big thing, for brushes with fame and experiences unlike any we’ve had before. We assume by that leaving what’s familiar, our lives will be richer.
But it turns out that the unpredictable arc of life happens whether you choose to move every year or two or spend your entire life in one town. Even a town like Oxford, Iowa.
In the 1970s, native New Yorker Peter Feldstein moved to tiny, out-of-the-way Oxford. The locals weren’t sure what to make of this big city artist — probably even less sure when, in the spring of 1984, he sent around letters asking each of the towns’ residents to pose for a “come as you are” photograph in his studio on Oxford’s main street. No one showed up at first, but gradually residents trickled in. By summer’s end he had taken photos of 670 Oxford residents. Most of them posed simply, standing in their everyday garb in front of a wrinkled drop cloth. The following spring he exhibited about 100 of the photos in the town’s American Legion Hall, then filed the photos away.
Pat Henkelman (b. 1929) in 1984 and 2005. "I get up at 5 a.m. My son — he works as a prison guard — stops by for breakfast every morning. He usually wants Cream of Wheat or oatmeal. Then I say my morning prayers, take a bath, and eat breakfast. After that, I clean houses. I come home and have lunch, usually a sandwich and a cup of green tea. I watch TV, usually CNN. Sometimes I take a nap... I think the instant you die, you step out of your body. You have to be perfect to go to heaven — like Mother Teresa — but almost everyone else goes to purgatory. There used to be a hat store in town. I wish it still was here. I love hats."
In 2005, Feldstein decided to take follow-up photos of those Oxford residents who hadn’t moved away or died. Again people posed, often in a stance identical to the one they’d used in those first photos, heads tipped to the left or right, hands on hips or hanging loosely at their sides.
Calvin Colony (b. 1956) in 1984 and 2006. "I’m a plumber, but I’m also a diver for the county. I dive for drowning victims, hunting accidents, snowmobiles that go through the ice. It’s black down there and you’re crawling through logs. I’ve probably pulled out twenty bodies since ’73. I’ve had maybe 13 lions over the years. You can train ’em, but you can never tame ‘em. You can’t trust ’em around children. They’re like cats around mice. They’ll kill a dog pretty quick. I used to feed ’em roadkill deer. I fly gyrocopters. They’re a lot of fun. I also fly a World War II photo reconnaissance plane. It’s dark green and still has D-Day invasion stripes on it. For the last six years, I’ve been going to a resort in Jamaica called Hedonism. On one beach, you have to have your bottoms on. On the other beach, you can’t lay out unless you’re naked. You’ll see people having sex if you stay around long enough. All the alcohol you want is included in the price. It’s a good time. You don’t have to take many clothes."
They’d aged of course, and gained a bit of weight or lost a bit of hair. But these outward changes gave little indication of the seismic shifts in many of their lives — of children born and died, couples joined and marriages torn asunder, career and travel dreams realized or quashed.
Kristi Somerville (b. 1982) in 1984 and 2007. "I just graduated from the University with a degree in psychology. Right now I’m working in a junior high school with kids who have mental disabilities. Eventually I’d like to get a PhD and be some sort of therapist. When I turned 18, I had a small armband with a heart tattooed on my arm, but as I got older, it wasn’t me, so I changed it to a Pacific Northwest Indian design. I have a Celtic tattoo on the back of my neck. I know a guy who does tattoos, so I traded one of my paintings for the tattoo on my arm. I do mostly acrylics on canvas. I paint a lot of trees, plants, and leaves. I like to be outside, and I love going to concerts. I just went to Lollapalooza in Chicago. My parents didn’t run a very tight ship, so I went to a lot of concerts around the country when I was growing up. I have an Obama sticker on my Volkswagen right now. He’s really charismatic. It’s not that I’m anti-Hillary. I like the idea of Bill back in the White House. I just think Obama would bring some change. I want to travel to Eastern Europe, South America, Central America, Mexico, Asia, and more places in the U.S. I’ve been to Europe a couple of times. I can’t see myself ending up in Oxford, but you never know."
Journalist Stephen Bloom interviewed about 100 of them and found them remarkably candid. The paired photos and memoirs are compiled in The Oxford Project.
Ben Stoker (b. 1984) in 1984 and 2005. "When I was ten, my dad died. He had renal failure. He used to take me to his office on Saturdays, and in the afternoon we’d catch a Kernels game. Pretty much I think about my dad every day. I remember feeling his beard against my face. I remember his hands — they were soft and warm. Two years ago, when I was 19, my mother died of cancer. She was my guiding light. I was very angry with God. He came and took my father and then he took the other person I loved most in the world. I’d be a liar if I said everything is all right. I know I’ll spend an eternity with both my parents. Two sayings come back to me: 'He’s not going to put you through something you can’t handle,' and 'What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.' I have dreams, mostly of my mother. I dream that my family is in Disney World and we’re going from ride to ride, but my mother’s the only one not talking. I started at Luther College two months after my mother died. It was too soon. I turned into a party animal. I needed to fix my life, so I came back to Oxford. I used to want to study pre-med, but lately I’ve been thinking of becoming a teacher. My mother was a teacher. I want to have a family. I could care less if I make a mark on the world. I just want to be the best father I can be. A lot of people don’t like small towns because they’re so tight-knit. But that’s what makes this place so great. You know who’s sleeping with whom, but when your mother dies, you also know there’ll be 28 people at your door with casseroles."
The stories in The Oxford Project demonstrate many things — that love sometimes lasts, that parents want what’s best for their children but can’t always provide it, that there’s more than one way to live your life, that simple things can provide stability and sometimes mean the most.
Don Saxton (b. 1939) in 1984 and 2005. "My life really hasn’t changed. Maybe I’ve put on weight, but not much. Ten pounds, tops. I haven’t lost much hair. My health is still good. I still go to church every Saturday night, and I still sing in the church choir. I’m retired from teaching high school typing, business, and accounting. Sometimes I substitute, but I really don’t like that. When you retire you ought to mean it. There are people who say they’re bored. I believe them, but I feel sorry for ’em. I’m satisfied here. Never thought of moving. My roots are too deep. I’ve been mayor since 1974. I like the small-town atmosphere. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been having coffee and doughnuts with the same men at 5:30 every morning. I’ve been to lots of the larger cities once or twice –– Dallas, Miami Beach, Chicago, New York –– but I’m always glad to get back. I collect antique cars. I have a ’26 Model T, a ’31 Model A, two ’51 Chevrolets, a ’54 Chevrolet fire truck that was in service for the city of Oxford for 44 years, three Oldsmobiles (’60, ’72, and ’74), two Buicks (’50 and ’66), and three tractors (two ’53 Old Reds and a ’54 Farmall). There was a time in Oxford when we had two farm implement dealerships, a drugstore, a hardware store, a general merchandise store, three grocery stores, three gas stations, a welding shop, a Chevrolet dealer, a Ford dealer, a bank, three cafes, a weekly newspaper, a physician, a dentist, and a hotel. All that’s gone now."
And they prove that you don’t have to live in a big city for life to happen. You don’t even have to leave home. Sorrow and fear, passion and joy will find you, and the completely unexpected can happen whether you strike out for parts unknown or move just down the block.
Jim Hoyt, Sr. (1925-2008) in 1984 and 2005. "My father worked for the railroad and my mother was a rural schoolteacher. I went from kindergarten through twelfth grade in the same building. My biggest achievement was winning the Johnson County Spelling Bee in 1939. I was in the eighth grade and I still remember the word I spelled correctly: 'archive.' After basic training I was sent overseas and went through the Battle of the Bulge. I’m the last living of the first four American soldiers who liberated Buchenwald concentration camp. There were thousands of bodies piled high. I saw hearts that had been taken from live people in medical experiments. They said a wife of one of the SS officers — they called her the Bitch of Buchenwald — saw a tattoo she liked on the arm of a prisoner, and had the skin made into a lampshade. I saw that. I received the Bronze Star, but when I got home, I didn’t have a job. I worked at a bank, then for Burroughs Adding Machine, then in construction. I ended up a rural mail carrier. I have post-traumatic stress disorder. My oldest son, who was awarded the Purple Heart for service in Vietnam, suffers from the same thing. Seeing these things, it changes you. I was a kid. Des Moines had been the farthest I’d ever been from home. I still have horrific dreams. Usually someone needs help and I can’t help them. I’m in a situation where I’m trapped and I can’t get out. I go to a group therapy session every week at the VA. For the 50-year anniversary of the liberation of Buchenwald, they asked me to return. They would’ve paid for the whole works. But I said no. I didn’t want to bring back those memories. Thinking back, I would have pushed to be a psychologist — if for no other reason than to understand myself better. I met my wife Doris at a dance in Solon back in 1948. She’s the love of my life. I don’t know what I’d do without her."
Gain more insight into the citizens of Oxford in the video below.
All excerpts courtesy of The Oxford Project and Welcome Books. Photographs © 2008 Peter Feldstein. Text © 2008 Stephen G. Bloom. Preface © 2008 Gerald Stern.
How have you changed in the last 20 years? How would you reflect on your life thus far?
A lifelong sewer/knitter and former weaver/spinner, Linzee Kull McCray, a.k.a. lkmccray, is a writer and editor living in Iowa. She feels fortunate to meet and write about people, from scientists to stitchers, who are passionate about their work. Her freelance writing appears in Quilts and More, Stitch, Fiberarts, American Patchwork and Quilting and more. For more textile musings, visit her blog.
119 comments
Sign in to add your ownTheScarfTree says:
Wow, I think this was an amazing idea! I love the before and after photo's and the stories, since there is so much of the "untold" in-between! Life is so rich, so sad, so happy! I would love to see more of "The Oxford Project"! Great article!
308 days ago
myvintagecrush says:
So cool! life happens everyday, all around us, and we rarely get to reflect on it as such. what an awesome project, thanks for sharing etsy!
308 days ago
PoleStar says:
People are all really interesting. Love this peek into their lives.
308 days ago
rosebudshome says:
Great experiment, wonderful photos!
308 days ago
TheIDconnection says:
Love this! Monica TheIDConnection :)
308 days ago
MootiDesigns says:
Great blog. Thanks for sharing.
308 days ago
ikabags says:
Great post ! Thanks for sharing !
308 days ago
sherisewsweet says:
Such an interesting article and wonderful pictures to see. Life goes by soo fast! I try to treasure it all.
308 days ago
GardenApothecary says:
This is such a great project... thanks for sharing.
308 days ago
Verdurebydesign says:
What an interesting project. Life seems similar where ever we live around the globe.
308 days ago
shannondzikas says:
The best part of this was reading the captions under these photos because everyone is so likeable. Excellent project. Beautiful!
308 days ago
shannondzikas says:
Oh and in the past twenty years I haven't changed much. I was a dorky awkward chubby kid with a perm and now I'm a geeky adult with better hair.
308 days ago
DessertWine says:
History of Families and individuals is fascinating! This project is amazing! Thank you so much for bringing it to us!
308 days ago
taylorseclectic says:
People are fascinating. What an amazing article...
308 days ago
MeadowTea says:
fascinating
308 days ago
dbailey says:
I live in the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City area (Oxford is next to Iowa City), and have seen this exhibit in person - IT'S EXTRAORDINARY. Honestly, all you can do is stand there and choke up. And it's true, the stories are what makes it. The entire project is available as a lovely, lovely book, only recently available in softcover. Get it. Get it now.
308 days ago
ChrissiesRibbons says:
Really Fascinating.
308 days ago
scarletbegonia11 says:
wow, beautiful story, gives me chills.
308 days ago
LittleWrenPottery says:
Fascinating project, it's interesting how time changes people. I think when we're young there's always a desire to get out and see the world there's nothing wrong with that but it's important to remember where you've come from too.
308 days ago
christinetillman says:
Loved this project for years. High Fives Peter Feldstein!
308 days ago
SELVIDGEByRachidaS says:
Whoa, beautiful. Thank's for sharing :)
308 days ago
ArtByKristin says:
...really touching.
308 days ago
MaggiePainting says:
There is nothing like the study of people. Love the photos!
308 days ago
girliepains says:
This is so awesome.
308 days ago
LiuRokSilver says:
Great ideas, wonderful photos. Thanks for sharing :)
308 days ago
paramountvintage says:
i love the concept of "following up". so interesting!
308 days ago
ddfoto says:
I actually looked at the book on this...very interesting looking at the same person years apart. Very nice article!!
308 days ago
TudorRoseDesigns says:
Oh I love this idea! Simply wonderful.
308 days ago
SilverMoonglow says:
A picture is worth a thousand words! Wonderfully evocative photography. Thank you for the article.
308 days ago
EclecticHome says:
Very moving, thanks for the post.
308 days ago
heidiadnum says:
Brilliant idea. Thank you.
308 days ago
JuniperHome says:
This is a fantastic piece - thanks for sharing! One of the most touching things I've read in a while. :)
308 days ago
rejive says:
Very interesting!
308 days ago
ohbabydotcom says:
How wonderful! Loved this video. I'd love to read this book!
308 days ago
blueskyclouds says:
Absolutely fascinating...I am always taken by how people change, looking at old pictures of people and wondering what will happen to them in their lives. Thank you so much for bringing this to us.
308 days ago
TiagoDesigns says:
Wow, time is an amazing thing...even how twenty years, seemingly not so much time can be the difference of an infant becoming an adult, or prime of your life to knocking on death's door. Makes you reflect...especially as I watch my young children playing on the floor right now. Thanks for the wonderful article...
308 days ago
SoliDeoGloriaSDG says:
What an amazing concept! it is true : "Everyone has a story" ... I love it!
308 days ago
thatyountvillegirl says:
What a beautiful art project.....I miss my hometown so much ..I'm moving back !
308 days ago
mazedasastoat says:
I've never lived more than 7 miles from the house I was brought up in, where my mother still lives. It can feel suffocating at times living in a small community where everyone knows everything about everyone & you can never be anonymous like you can in a city... but I can't imagine living any other way.
308 days ago
girltuesdayjewelry says:
This post was amazing to read. Thank you.
308 days ago
Parachute425 says:
Wonderful. Thanks for the intro to this book which is going on my list for gift giving this year. Let's see - I've had children in the past 20 years and no one can be unchanged by that. They pick your life up, spin it around and slam you into a reality that makes it clear that life is not all about you. I barely remember that girl I was 20 years ago but I got to share it all with my best friend who says he still sees her every once in a while.
308 days ago
jillianjade1 says:
i'm a bit teary eyed. thank you.
308 days ago
fbstudiovt says:
So well written. The opening paragraph made me tear up :)
308 days ago
MerCurios says:
What a lovely project. Nostalgic at heart and welling up with tears thank you very much.
308 days ago
accentonvintage says:
Very interesting documentation!
308 days ago
EvesLittleEarthlings says:
I see how much my kids have changed in 20 years, but I feel pretty much the same. 20 years goes by in a flash when you're an adult. It is so interesting to see how the people in the photos changed.
308 days ago
JZinn says:
This is a really interesting project... thank you for sharing it with us!
308 days ago
PyxusPassionProject says:
Love it! Thanks so much for sharing this great project!
308 days ago
Iammie says:
Cool!
308 days ago
WhisperingOak says:
Wow, what great pictures
308 days ago
Macramaking says:
Being in the same small town in North Carolina all my life, I really enjoyed this project. Love the photography, vision & concept. Congratz :)
308 days ago
FlipFlopOutlet says:
Wow, that is a wonderful idea!
308 days ago
SheAteMyCrayons says:
Knock me over with a feather! My Etsy shop has been the best gift I have received in a long time. As I am scrolling around the Etsy home page I see this story on the Oxford project. My in laws and sister in law are in the book, and there on your page is my sister=in=law Kristi! Isn't life fun!
308 days ago
ontherebound says:
Thank you , I have just moved over here from the UK ..... making a big change is scary sometimes. The place we live is small but beautiful. these stories are heart warming, a lot between the lines. Wow.....
308 days ago
redemptionart says:
This is a great art installation and project! Sometimes I feel guilty writing about my Hawaiian life on my blog http://www.islandbuzzy.com, because I was born and raised here. However, living in Hawaii is like traveling the world, so many ethnicity's and lifestyles. Thank you!
308 days ago
AliceCloset says:
Great post! Thanks for sharing ^__^
308 days ago
organikx says:
Thank you for profiling The Oxford Project. An amazing project... touching. I've read the entire book, I laughed, I cried. No, really, it's true. It's amazing and you will not be disappointed if you buy the book.
308 days ago
SugarCubeVintage says:
such amazing candid portraits.
308 days ago
styleforlife says:
HOW COOL!!!!!!!!! Great post. :-) x
308 days ago
theroyal says:
interesting
308 days ago
Huismus says:
Supercool! Thanks.
308 days ago
odecomposition says:
As someone who has searched the globe to find a place that feels like home, I've come to realize that "wherever you go, there you are". I think this is something that everyone finds out at some point in their lives. This article shows that same theory from a totally different point of view. What a beautiful time capsule of human fragility, complications and joy and we can all relate to.
308 days ago
AlicesAtticGems says:
I love this! A good friend of mine is one of the ladies in the book, it was so interesting to hear her talk about it!
308 days ago
thehopetree says:
amazing! makes one's thoughts drift somewhere else.
308 days ago
hjmart says:
wow! read some of the stories..... each of these people's lives can be put in a book, each on their own..... the whole universe of experience in one small town... will look for the book..... great post! Thank you!
308 days ago
ancienesthetique says:
like a film.. i used to live in oxford, but the england verison.. also an amazing place full of characters.. the world and it's people are very interesting, you just have to talk and listen..
308 days ago
sleekandproud says:
Great concept.We always imagine ourselves to grow up differently, or to look different.A different story.I wouldn't change my life or my past,...It makes the person I am today.
308 days ago
brigidmcnellis says:
Amazing project, so interesting to see that life just happens no matter where you are or are not, essentially we all go through similar experiences. Loved the arcticle.
308 days ago
TomLaurus says:
Wow!
308 days ago
milkthiefvintage says:
wow these people are so intriguing! i loved this article! thanks :)
308 days ago
yimmekedesign says:
Looking at these people... common, some larger, some toothless, makes you feel that there is little difference in "them". That it is "me'... that it is "us'.
307 days ago
thestapeliacompany says:
I love portraits and I'm fascinated by the passage of time. This project encapsulates both of these things beautifully.
307 days ago
emmylucy says:
I feel so connected with each person...their stories. This is beautiful, I want to visit Oxford. I live in a small village in Michigan, just 220 people.
307 days ago
breadandroses2 says:
Oh yes, "the unpredictable arc of life happens' no matter who, where or when. I'm so deeply moved by this. Mr. Hoyt's account brings tears to my eyes. Thank you, Mr. Hoyt, for all you have done and for your courage to persevere. Thank you.
307 days ago
jewelsbymoon says:
This is such a wonderful project. I love it! Lifelong peek into the people and places in our wonderful little world, thank you.
307 days ago
Leatherworks4U says:
This project is in the same realm as "Let Us Now Praise Famous Men" by James Agee and Walker Evans. Several decades later there was a follow up entitled "And Their Children After Them" by Dale Maharidge and Michael Williamson. These books chronicle a few Depression era Alabama families. Filled with moving prose and striking black and white photography, they capture history. There are also the Disfarmer photos from Heber Springs, AR. I cut my teeth on black and white photography and it still resonates with me today. Thank you Etsy for showcasing this great project...I might not have found it otherwise...who knows?
307 days ago
EminenceDesign says:
Oh wow! I loved this story and also the pictures. I believe that a picture allows you to see the soul of a person and this is a very interesting study, especially since the photos were taken over such a great time span. Great job!
307 days ago
beliz82 says:
Love the story and pictures are great Thank you for sharing !!
307 days ago
modernbird says:
Amazing.....thank you for this wonderful post.
307 days ago
EmeliaJane says:
Wow, I just became compleatly entranced with this project! Thank you so much for sharing, it totally made my day :)
307 days ago
ReclaimedObjects says:
I think it would be a great inspiration for reflection or change if every one would look into their own life to see where they have been and where they want to go in their life. We often cant see ourselves as others see us. Our reflection becomes blurred as we experience life's changes comes in slowly with out realization of how fast the time has gone by.
307 days ago
aschwer says:
Amazing! It's so interesting to get such person insights. Like the young man who lost both parents. You never know what people have gone through in their lives, reminds you to not judge a book..
307 days ago
FreakyPeas says:
simply....wonderful
307 days ago
acuriousbrood says:
Moving, lovely.
307 days ago
reiddamnit says:
fantastic
307 days ago
Surfgirl57 says:
I wonder if the people who left for "parts unknown" found more excitement, romance or bigger things than the ones that stayed? Thanks for sharing this remarkable story, Linzee!
307 days ago
Tanith says:
Very interesting.
307 days ago
overthemeadow says:
What a great project ! Very interesting :-) Fun read !
307 days ago
sarahsquiltsncrafts says:
Wherever you go there you are. Apparently it's true.
307 days ago
KettleConfections says:
This is fascinating - we move away from home, travel the world in search of new experiences but it's true, a lot of the major defining moments in life happen without us seeking them out.
307 days ago
afternoontees says:
Wow, this article really moved me and resonated me. Cheers for recognizing the value of a small town life.
307 days ago
LoveStitchesByNaomi says:
I am a great one for reflection. I am always looking back to see where I came from or where someone else came from. Everyone's story is different, unique. As the pictures and discriptions show everyone has a story to tell.
307 days ago
blevison says:
This is incredible. Thanks for sharing this.
307 days ago
esther2u2 says:
What a great idea, really makes you stop and think that we need to slow down and pay attention to the every day moments. Thank you etsy for bringing this to us.
307 days ago
OhFaro says:
This is a beautiful project with such depth. Thank you for posting and sharing. Life, really buzzes by so Hold On and Grab it and Watch People. Seriously -white knuckle it if you have too, it's a slippery sucker.
307 days ago
BanglewoodSupplies says:
This project is so interesting. Some people didn't really change to much.
307 days ago
berni86 says:
The personal stories are so real and candid and that really comes through. The small town of Oxford comes across as more than a geographical location but a living breathing entity and you feel it's joy and sorrow. Bravo Peter! This is one inspiring project.
307 days ago
TheSteelFork says:
love this project- it is so powerful and gripping. I absolutely love the stories of ordinary people. thank you for sharing.
307 days ago
bhangtiez says:
This is such a great idea. I loved reading the stories & learning about the lives of a few in this town, and seeing the pictures too. Thank you for sharing!
306 days ago
compostthis says:
this is amazing...thank you for sharing!
306 days ago
goodintent says:
This reminds me of a similar project by Irena Werning.
306 days ago
goodintent says:
this reminds me of a similar project by Irena Werning. ..fascinating.
306 days ago
designlab443 says:
love those photos! great project!
306 days ago
Rewoodtoys says:
This is really cool! thanks
306 days ago
carlabobj says:
I am in AWE. Wonderful!
306 days ago
Alaroycreature says:
I live in Iowa!! I love this article, so interesting. :)
306 days ago
EvenAndy says:
This is a really awesome project and story! Thanks so very much for sharing!
306 days ago
NotYoMommasHandbag says:
One can never go wrong with captured images....never....smiles.
306 days ago
5gardenias says:
what a marvelous project and true artistic devotion. the photos are so beautifully candid-- seen through a very tender lens. wonderful feature-- thank you!
306 days ago
silverpirate says:
Wonderful, what a great article - Thank you!
306 days ago
SaillesStory says:
SERENDIPITY I love it~! This week I started focusing on how we can be completely different people throughout our entire lives~! Thanks for this~! :o]
306 days ago
InYourBones says:
an amazing idea
306 days ago
vintagebutterfly94 says:
I don't know why this just puts a big lump in my throat. I think it's because I grew up in a town like this.
304 days ago
tokenandpine says:
What a cool idea! I live in the same town that I was born in, grew up in, and even went to college in. Sometimes it feels like nothing changes, but it's so true that the events of your life will find you wherever you are.
304 days ago
orleansapothecary says:
moving and amusing. the honesty and simplicity and purity of the captions. it makes me want to hug my grandma. the bit about the casseroles is great too. charming piece.
303 days ago
proteales says:
This makes me want to interview everyone I know.
301 days ago
ShabbyBuyDesign says:
This is simply Amazing!
300 days ago
LesasPlunderPlace says:
This got me thinking back on the past twenty years... What a fascinating project! The people. Their lives. All of it! This was really great to read, and the pictures are wonderful!
299 days ago
Waterrose says:
Love the stories of peoples lives. Thanks for sharing this with us.
298 days ago