The building on the corner at 1012 Jackson Avenue was once a garage, and later went from ice cream (Oxford Creamery Company) to pizza (Funkys), with a stint in between as Parks Barber Shop.
“Loved the Creamery! It was so cold inside and smelled wonderful! Had my very first lime sherbet there. Also loved the tiny ice cream tables and chairs. Such a treat!” — Kaye Bryant Hooker
In 1930, two years after the Cofields made the move, Albert Jens Fenger came to Oxford. As a teenager,
Albert had fallen out with his father, and left their family home in Arhus, Denmark, to write his own version of the American Dream. Starting in Iowa, Albert learned the creamery business. He married Erna, the daughter of a Lutheran Minister who had immigrated from Germany, began his family, and in time found his way to Mississippi. The Fenger family opened the Oxford Creamery Company there on Jackson Avenue and did indeed add another fine chapter to the town’s history. The whole family worked at the creamery and prided themselves on their work.
What was the church next door, and when was it torn down? I would guess that the later existence of the Abbey apartments must have been a nod to the church that was once there.