Oxford is a town in Oak Grove Township, Benton County, Indiana.

Commissioners appointed by the Indiana General Assembly selected the location in May 1843 to be the site of the county seat on land donated by Henry W. Ellsworth and David Atkinson.

The first home was that of Aaron Wood, who also ran a small store that supplied groceries, beer and whiskey.

Many additions and expansions to the town were made over subsequent decades, adding several streets and more than 300 lots.

The town was dealt a blow, however, when in 1874 it lost its status as county seat to more centrally-located Fowler, 9 miles to the north.

[6] Standardbred horse Dan Patch is arguably the town's best-known native, and was foaled in an Oxford barn on April 29, 1896.

The horse gained celebrity status for setting world speed records that remained unbroken until 1960.

A 1949 film, The Great Dan Patch, dramatized the horse's origins in Oxford and rise to fame.

[7] The David S. Heath House and Presbyterian Church Building are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Oxford is located in Oak Grove Township in the south part of the county.

The area occupied by the town is mostly open farmland that slopes gently southeast toward Big Pine Creek.