Hotty Toddy, Gosh Almighty: A Leisurely Stroll Through Ole Miss

William Faulkner once said, “To understand the world, you must first understand a place like Mississippi.” This week I had a chance to test that principle for myself, including a visit to Faulkner’s home in Oxford, Mississippi. I spoke at the University of Mississippi’s The Declaration of Independence Center for the Study of American Freedom about my book, “Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution.”  As I often do, I decided to take some pictures as I explored the campus and the nearby environs of Ole Miss. This is an extraordinary place filled with the nicest people you could ever hope to meet. I could not recommend a visit more highly.

I had the ultimate guide upon my arrival in Oxford in the form of Rankin Sherling, the Associate Director of the Declaration of Independence Center for the Study of American Freedom and a Mississippi native. We went straight to the home of Faulkner, which is an utter delight.

Called Rowan Oak, Faulkner bought the 1844 antebellum mansion in 1930 for $6,000 after he published The Sound and the Fury.

Faulkner insisted on writing from the house, and one room still has his draft of the chapter of one of his novels, A Fable, written on the walls.

There is the phone on which he was told he had won the Nobel Prize, and his typewriter in his office. Every inch has been lovingly preserved as it was when he lived in the deep South that he loved so much.

Rankin and I had dinner with a wonderful group at the City Grocery in Oxford, which still feels like a walk back in time. The courthouse was rebuilt after Union soldiers burned down the original in 1864. The area saw fierce fighting in the war, and one of the most storied Confederate units was composed of Ole Miss students. They were called the University Greys (Company A, 11th Mississippi Infantry) and, on July 3, 1863, suffered a 100% casualty rate during Pickett’s charge at the Battle of Gettysburg.

I spent a couple of hours walking around the gorgeous Ole Miss campus. I had a chance to speak with various students who are delighted to share their own stories and favorite sites on campus.

Both faculty and students made it clear that there was one person who should not be named, or whose name must be preceded by such descriptive terms as “traitor” or “soulless monster.” That, of course, is former Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin, who left midseason to take a higher-paying coaching job with LSU, a longtime nemesis of Ole Miss. I was told that the home game between Ole Miss and LSU was already driving ticket prices over $6,300 for choice seats.

I loved my time with all of my new friends at Ole Miss, who epitomize the tradition of Southern Hospitality. To all of them, I offer my own cheer:

“Are you ready?!

Hell, yeah! Damn right!

Hotty Toddy, Gosh Almighty

Who the hell are we?

Hey Flim Flam, Bim Bam

Ole Miss, by Damn!”