County of marker: Lafayette County
Location of monument: Oxford Square & E. Jackson Ave., city hall lawn, Oxford
Monument text:
Twin Cities
Oxford
Mississippi
and
Aubigny sur-Nère
France
since 1956
Aubigny-sur-Nère is a commune in the Cher department in the Centre region of France.
"First known as Albinacum in Roman times, the commune was established as a royal town in 1189 by Philip II.
This is the location by which the Duke of Gordon gets his honorific title, as the Duke of Aubigny. In 1419, John Stewart of Darnley, a junior member of the House of Stuart, arrived in France with a large contingent of Scottish soldiers, to fight for Charles VII. He was awarded many titles, among them the Lordship of Aubigny. The family stayed here for 400 years." ~ Wikipedia
"Chartered in 1836 on Chickasaw land, Oxford was named for the university town in England and became home to the University of Mississippi in 1848. During the Civil War, Generals Grant and Sherman met in Oxford (1862), and the Square and many homes were burned by Union troops (1864). Oxonians suffered the yellow fever epidemic of 1878 with other Mississippians. In 1962 riots accompanied the integration of Old Miss as it became the first integrated university in the state; since then the city has worked to build a more progressive community. The first presidential debate of 2008 was held at Old Miss. Noble Laureate William Faulkner, U.S. Supreme Court Justice L.Q.C. Lamar, Secretary of the Interior Jacob Thompson, scholar F.A.P. Barnard, scientist/physician Arthur C. Guyton, M.D., and best-selling author John Grisham have called Oxford home." ~ City of Oxford
Sister Cities