“Todays club ride is going to Wawa” – no it’s not – it’s going to Oxford or what’s left of it. That is to say what’s not been buried under Walmart, Wawa, Aldi, a self storage company, Murphy Express and numerous other businesses. But hidden behind and between all the new stuff are traces of the old Oxford and even the settlement of Pine Level of which only the cemetery remains.
Pine Level is a ghost town. The only records of its existence are that it had postal service from 1855-1860 and the sign over the entry to the cemetery “Pine Level Cemetery 1865”.
Oxford was settled around 1870, the railroad came through in 1885 and
by 1900 it had a town hall, a newspaper and was known especially for its
cantaloupe and a rich variety of agricultural products.
These old homes in Oxford are south east of the 466/301 crossroads
There are old stores on CR 106 and Jennings Citrus at 466/301 has been
packing fruit since 1949.
Follow the canopy road behind Wawa past the church and you will find Pine
Level cemetery.
The word “Level” in Pine Level piqued my interest as I had seen it before
at Spark Level church to the east of of Cherry Lake, aka Lake Sumter. It
indicates a tract of flat land.
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