Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sights & Activities
The gorgeous, 0.6-miles long and rather painless
Bailee's Woods Trail
connects two of
the town's most popular sights, Rowan Oak and the University of Mississippi Museum.
Rowan Oak
HISTORIC BUILDING
(
www.rowanoak.com
;
Old Taylor Rd; adult/child $5/free; 10am-4pm Tue-Sat, 1-4pm Sun)
Liter-
ary pilgrims head directly here, to the graceful 1840s home of William Faulkner, who au-
thored so many brilliant and dense novels set in Mississippi, and whose work is celeb-
rated in Oxford with an annual conference in July. Tours of Rowan Oak - where
Faulkner lived from 1930 until he died in 1962 - are self-guided. The staff can also
provide directions to
Faulkner's grave
, which is located in St Peter's Cemetery, north-
east of the Square.
University of Mississippi Museum
MUSEUM
(
www.museum.olemiss.edu
; University Ave at 5th St; admission $5; 10am-6pm Tue-Sat)
This
museum has fine and folk arts, a Confederate uniform and a plethora of science-related
marvels, including a microscope and electromagnet from the 19th century.
JAMES MEREDITH'S MARCH
The Grove, the shady heart center of Ole Miss (the University of Mississippi), is
generally peaceful, except on football Saturdays, when it buzzes with brass-band,
pre-game anticipation.
Yet it was also the setting of one of the Civil Rights movement's most harrowing
scenes. Here, on October 1, 1962, James Meredith, a young student,, accompanied
by his advisor, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People state
chair Medgar Evers, marched through a violent mob of segregationists to become
the first African American student to register for classes at Ole Miss. He was sup-
posed to have registered 10 days before, but riots ensued and the Kennedy admin-
istration had to call in 500 federal marshalls and the National Guard to ensure his
safety.
Evers was eventually assasinated, and Meredith later walked across the state to
raise awareness about racial violence in Mississippi. Some of Meredith's corres-
pondence is on display at the
Center for Southern Culture
(
662-915-5855; 1 Library
,
Loop, Univesity of Mississippi;
8am-9pm Mon-Thu, to 4pm Fri, to 5pm Sat, 1-5pm Sun;
)
at the campus library.
