The other Oxford: Faulkner’s hometown
With award-winning restaurants and rich southern history, this Mississippi city has so much to offer
OXFORD, Miss. — Many travellers find their way to Oxford, Miss., as fans of novelist William Faulkner.
But there’s much more to do in Oxford other than visiting Faulkner’s home and grave. A wooded trail leads from his house to the University of Mississippi campus, a.k.a. Ole Miss. There you’ll find statues marking separate chapters of Southern history: one of a Confederate soldier, the other of African-American James Meredith, whose integration of the school sparked riots in 1962.
Other stops in Oxford include award-winning restaurants and a bookstore, Square Books, with a well-curated selection about the region. Lodging options include the Graduate, a sleek, fun and funky boutique hotel where card keys bear pictures of famous Ole Miss alumni like quarterback Eli Manning.
ROWAN OAK
Faulkner bought the home and grounds he called Rowan Oak in 1930. He lived there with his family until his death in 1962. Don’t miss the room where he wrote a plot outline on the wall. Also on display are empty liquor bottles, with a card under a bottle of Four Roses bourbon explaining that Faulkner was “a notorious binge drinker” who favoured “inexpensive and readily available” booze.
Exhibits of photos and articles about his life and work include quotes that will inspire and resonate with anyone who’s ever agonized over the written word.
The property includes a stable, barn and gardens. You can walk from Rowan Oak through Bailey’s Woods to the Ole Miss campus, where an annual Faulkner conference is scheduled this year for July 23-27.
OLE MISS
Founded in 1848, the University of Mississippi campus was spared when Union troops burned Oxford during the Civil War in 1864. In 2008, the university hosted the first presidential debate ever held in Mississippi, between Barack Obama and John McCain.
But its biggest headlines were made in 1962 when riots broke out over the enrolment of the university’s first African-American student, James Meredith. A marker of the violence has been preserved in the form of a hole where a bullet hit the Lyceum, the oldest building on campus.
A statue of a Confederate soldier near the Lyceum once served as a rallying point for segregationists. A sculpture of Meredith can be found on the other side of the building.
GOOD EATS, GOOD BOOKS
Make time for as many meals as you can because Oxford has great dining options. Chef John Currence owns a group of restaurants here, including his flagship James Beard Award winner, City Grocery, and a fantastic café in a strip mall, Big Bad Breakfast.
The chef at Snackbar, Vishwesh Bhatt, also got a nod from the Beards. He’s a native of India who channels his culinary heritage into dishes like chai-spice smoked duck breast and winter squash biryani.
Stop at Square Books, 160 Courthouse Square, before you head home. See if you can penetrate a Faulkner novel like As I Lay Dying.