Rowan Oak facts for kids
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Rowan Oak
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Rowan Oak
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 Location in Mississippi
Location in the United States
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| Location | Old Taylor Road, Oxford, Mississippi |
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| Built | 1844 |
| Architect | Col. Robert Sheegog |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 68000028 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | May 23, 1968 |
| Designated NHL | May 23, 1968 |
Rowan Oak was the home of famous author William Faulkner. It is located in Oxford, Mississippi. The house is built in the Greek Revival style. It was first built in 1844 for Robert B. Sheegog. Faulkner bought the house in 1930 when it was in poor condition. He lived there until he passed away in 1962. Since 1972, the University of Mississippi has owned and managed Rowan Oak. It is now open to visitors all year round.
Contents
The Story of Rowan Oak
The Rowan Oak house was built in 1844. It sits on four acres of landscaped land. This land is surrounded by 29 acres of woods called Bailey Woods.
Early Owners and Changes
The Sheegog family were the first owners. They lived in the house from 1844 to 1872. The house originally had an L-shape. A large central hall connected a parlor and dining room on one side. A library was on the other side. Stairs led up to three bedrooms on the second floor.
Some original features from that time are still there. These include a line of Eastern Red Cedar trees along the driveway. People back then thought cedar trees helped clean the air. They believed it protected against the yellow fever virus. There is also a round garden, a barn, and a building where enslaved people lived.
In 1872, the Bailey family bought the home. They lived there until 1923. Around the early 1900s, Julia Bailey made some updates. She added an indoor kitchen and pantry. She also added a front porch and a bathroom. A hallway in the servants' area was also enclosed.
William Faulkner's Home
The property was empty for seven years before William Faulkner bought it in 1930. In 1931, he gave it the name "Rowan Oak." He chose this name from two trees: the rowan tree for peace and the live oak for strength. Interestingly, neither of these trees grows on the property. Also, there is no real tree species called a "rowan oak."
Soon after, Faulkner moved in with his wife, Estelle. Her two children, Malcolm and Victoria, also lived there. A few years later, their daughter Jill was born. Rowan Oak was the Faulkner family home until William Faulkner's death in 1962.
Rowan Oak was a very special place for William Faulkner. It was his private world, both in real life and in his imagination. He loved learning about its history. While living at Rowan Oak, Faulkner kept horses. He enjoyed riding, jumping, and sometimes fox hunting. He also often went to sports events at the nearby University of Mississippi.
Faulkner's Renovations
Faulkner made many changes and additions to the house and property. In the 1930s, he added modern plumbing and electricity. He built brick terraces with railings at the front entrance. He also added a porch off the dining room. A covered entrance for cars, called a porte-cochère, was added on the west side. He also added a fourth bedroom, a butler's pantry, and a new kitchen.
In the 1950s, he oversaw more updates. He enclosed the second-floor sleeping porch and the ground-floor porch. In 1951, Faulkner added a private closet, bathroom, and office on the first floor. He spent the last ten years of his writing career in this office. He even wrote the plan for his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel A Fable on the office walls.
Faulkner's time at Rowan Oak was very productive. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1949. He also won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for A Fable in 1954.
Preserving Rowan Oak
In 1972, the University of Mississippi bought Rowan Oak. The house is kept just as it was when Faulkner passed away in 1962. About 90% of the original furniture is still there. The university takes care of the home to honor Faulkner's writing. It is open to visitors all year.
Many famous writers have visited Rowan Oak. These include John Updike, Czesław Miłosz, Charles Simic, Richard Ford, James Lee Burke, Bei Dao, Charles Wright, Charles Frazier, Alice Walker, the Coen brothers, Bobbie Ann Mason, and Salman Rushdie. Writer Mark Richard even fixed a doorknob on the French door to Faulkner's study once!
Rowan Oak was named a National Historic Landmark in 1977.
The people who currently manage Rowan Oak are William Griffith and Rachel Hudson. Past managers include novelists Howard Bahr and Cynthia Shearer. The first manager was Bev Smith. She found many of Faulkner's original writings hidden in a closet under the stairs.
See also
- List of residences of American writers
