In 2023 the Museum was proud to present the 2022 Douglas Hanks Jr. Preservation Award to Julie Wells. As Bob Valliant, chair of the Award’s selection committee and childhood friend of Doug Hanks, stated “Doug would definitely approve of this year’s winner.” Quoting another local friend of Doug, Pete Bailey, “Doug had a passionate love for his community and all it stood for. He knew change was inevitable and tried to preserve those special things. He could be very outspoken, and if he took up a cause, you had a fight on your hands.” Julie has many of these traits of determination, as attributed to Douglas Hanks, and Oxford has benefited from her boundless energy and engagement.
Julie is a museum board member, serves as board secretary and is a Museum Board past president. She was offered the paid position of executive director. She accepted the duties, but not the salary, making the Oxford Museum an all-volunteer organization.
Under her leadership as president, museum activity flourished including successes such as the publication of “Oxford, Images of America,” production of an audio walking tour of Oxford, and designing a successful campaign to expand and enhance the backyard and museum gardens, creating a serene spot to rest and a welcoming event space including an outdoor timeline of historic Oxford and a new outbuilding, a “dependency” for greater storage.
Wells is also a member of the Oxford Fire Department Auxiliary, a regular volunteer at the Oxford Community Center, helps with Christmas on the Creek dock trees, and for several years was on the Oxford Day Committee.
Julie and her husband, Brian, fell in love with Oxford on their first visit and soon purchased an 1880s waterman’s cottage that had been ravaged by a fire in 2005 and had been sitting vacant for three years. Doing much of the research and renovation work themselves, they brought it back to a charming cottage and won the 2011 This Old House Best Exterior Makeover award.
In 2017, Julie and Brian moved to an 1888 boarding house on the Strand and began the research and restoration once again. In 2020, they did the same to the 1847 Academy House on Morris Street, which had been the home of the Maryland Military Academy’s supervisor. Thanks to Julie and Brian, three historic homes in Oxford have been lovingly brought back with historic integrity.
For her service to the historic preservation of Oxford, Julie was awarded the 2022 Douglas Hanks Jr. Preservation Award.