rowan oak

A well preserved piece of American literary history, Rowan Oak is now owned by Ole Miss. Touring the beautiful grounds is free, and the house tour is a small admission price.

As stated in the website, "home to William Faulkner and his family for over 40 years, Rowan Oak was originally built in 1844, and stands on over 29 acres of land just south of the Square in Oxford, MS." My wife and I visited on a damp, misty day in March...it was very eerie walking along the tall cedar-lined path and then seeing this home come into view. My wife loves Faulkner's writing, and I was along for the ride. She was very moved by the place, obviously for different reasons than I. I thought the setting was very inspiring, the house was simple yet majestic, and the displays inside provided an understanding of Faulkner the man and what drove this author to create a fictional town with characters as a parody on Oxford and other little Southern towns. You can see the typewriter and table he used for writing. The University of Mississippi acquired the property - house, furnishings and grounds - from his widow about 10 years after his death and has owned it since. Ole Miss is a good custodian, currently doing some major renovation work on the house.

A day visit to Oxford, MS, should include a quick stop by Faulkner's former home for a self-guided tour. A pity it was winter and the gardens weren't in bloom, but the furnished house is interesting and the family photos, mementos and descriptive placards make it an interesting place to visit.

I have wanted to visit Rowan Oak for years and years; finally today I made it! It was everything I hoped it would be. You could sense the "genteel poverty" Faulkner wrote about. There were the trappings of wealth amidst a place that I'm sure needed repair in Faulkner's time and still does, I loved the room with his outline for The Fable on the wall, the family paintings and pictures and the magnificent grounds. Thank you State of Mississippi for preserving this literary treasure.

We're so glad we stopped by William Faulkner's home early in the a.m., even though it wasn't officially open yet. He lived here with his wife and adopted children from 1930 to his death in 1962. The house, built in 1848, is a kind of a poor man's antebellum mansion in a beautiful wooded property adjacent to Ole Miss. If you love literature, esp. southern literature, you will love getting the feel of this spot. You can see his writing room and typewriter through the first-floor window.

This is a unique opportunity to walk the grounds and tour the house of a literary legend. The tours are lead by knowledgable staff members who are more than happy to answer your questions. After your tour, head to the square to pick up some Faulker works and other local authors.

I had read some of Faulkner's works in high school and it was neat to see his house when in Oxford for the Auburn/Ole Miss game. It has a neat wooded trail that leads back to it. It reminded me of other southern homes I had visited before and gave some good context to Faulkner's life and was well worth the $5 admission.

The grounds are spectacular in a restrained way. The house is a two story structure with not too many rooms. Simply furnished with a replica of the original wallpaper. One room contains Faulkner's writing on the wall containing some verses from his book. The property also has the author's barn and caretaker's cabin. The entire property is within Oxford City limits, unlike John Grisham's which, until a recent annexation, was in the County.

After seeing the home, you will want to go back and read Faulkner again. The setting of the home was beautiful, but a little hard to find. It could be marked better.

The grounds of Rowan Oak are at least part of the attraction. Majestic trees are everywhere. The house is well preserved with great artifacts of the life of William Faulkner. Don't go to Oxford and miss seeing this.

Everything in the house is authentic, including the books in the book shelves. I even used William Faulkner's actual bathroom. This is a fascinating look at one of America's most famous authors. You can look at each room from the doorway and the handout gives you a description of the room and how it was used The entrance fee was a whole $5. It is well worth the price to save a piece of history. The house is two stories and I don't think there's an elevator. Upstairs are the bedrooms. Everything else including his study is downstairs.

Though born and raised in Oxford I still learn something curious when I take a visitor to Rowan Oak. It's a beautiful setting in the middle of town and the University. Take time to walk the grounds and take the trail between the home and the University through the Bailey's Woods. The home is a simple traditional North Mississippi structure which was left as Faulkner's family left it after his death. It has out-building worth looking into. The house has a self-guided tour so take the time to take it all in, but feel free to ask the graduate students questions. The director, Bill, is a hoot with a great knowledge and a sense of humor. (I still haven’t figured out why they have a half of a stuffed rabbit in a glass case up stairs). They have not immortalized Faulkner, but enjoy telling tales about this interesting character and the charters in his family. I am not sure Faulkner wrote fiction, anyway. (I grew up with folks identifying the locals were similar to the characters in his novels.) It's always a pleasure to taking folks to this place, though I can't count the times I have been there.

I have long been a fan of William Faulkner's novels so it was a real pleasure to visit the house where he lived. Unfortunately, the day we arrived was wet and over cast and as the house is surrounded by oak trees and creepers the exterior was gloomy. Inside, however, we were greeted by a friendly and knowledgeable curator who was happy to fill in gaps about Faulkner's history. The house itself contains a mass of information, many photos and original furniture and pictures. Well worth a vist

Despite the house being smack in the middle of it all, it was a little difficult to find. Even with GPS. But worth the effort. Its a lovely old home, and the rooms have been left as close to when Faulkner lived there as possible. There is no fee, unless you want the guided tour, and that is only $5. But, whether you take the tour or not, the guides freely answer any questions you have. The grounds are pretty. Lots of old Oaks, a small stable, and if you look closely, you can see where garden walls once stood. All in all, worth a visit.

Interesting stop in Oxford, MS. The house isn't very big and it seems to be staffed by Ole Miss students. The tour is self guided and interesting. The house was kept up well and you can walk around the grounds of the home as well. We were there about an hour walking around.