the romantic south -- oxford & ole miss

to mississippi and back, part 2

photos by jerone anderson

recently i had a chance to go on a road trip to oxford, mississippi -- the mythical land inspiring william faulkner's yoknapatawpha county, where in 1962 the african-american veteran james meredith had to fight for admission to ole miss university to become its first black student, and overly caring waitresses call you honey when serving fried catfish with hush puppies.

anticipation of spring. whereas in ohio we are still fighting with cold spells, grey skies, and rainy days, oxford mississippi greeted us with yellow, red, and pink blossoms. the prim and proper campus of ole miss is romantically pretty with its old architecture buildings featuring front pillars, wrap-around porches, and inviting rocking chairs. in the evening almost every house had soft glowing orange lights on doors or windows. th

and there was even evidence of some southern quirkiness that reminded me of the novel midnight in the garden of good and evil by john berendt, specifically the dog-walker with the invisible dog. In oxford, a local bank specifically considered the needs of their (in)visible companions.
























to mississippi and back, part 1: a pretty piece of land -- where lincoln was born

to mississippi and back, part 2: the romantic south -- oxford & ole miss

to mississippi and back, part 3: unavoidably ubiquitous -- the world of william faulkner

to mississippi and back, part 4: honey, sweetie & fried fish -- our southern food history

to mississippi and back, part 5: mammoth cave: "the world's largest network of natural caves"