Both the house itself and the expansive front yard have a rich history and are integral to the character of the South Lamar Historic District.

Built in 1855 by James Trigg, the house was sold to Robert Doyle in 1861. Mr. Doyle added the house’s distinctive Victorian columns and ornate trim about 1870.

In 1887, it was purchased by J.W.T. Falkner and his wife Sallie who were William Faulkner’s grandparents. In 1902, Murry and his wife moved William and his two younger brothers from Ripley to Oxford and moved into the house. One of the most famous pictures of “Bill” as a child features the front porch of the house as a backdrop to the boys and their ponies.

The house was featured on the cover of Must See Mississippi: 50 Favorite Places by Mary Carol Miller in which she recounts the history of the house including memories from the Falkner boys.

The history of the yard is equally significant to generations of Oxford children who have had the pleasure of playing countless hours on its green grass. As Jack Mayfield recounted in an article from 2015,

“All during the years Miss Annie lived there, her yard was the Oxford Park. We had no place to play except in someone’s yard until Avent Park was built around 1960. Miss Annie would sit on the porch and watch us play. William Faulkner would sometimes stop and watch us play when he was walking to and from the town Square. I guess that he was reliving the days of his youth.”

Mrs. Gary carried on Miss Annie’s tradition and the neighborhood children were her joy. The most recent generation of kids were even surprised by Eli Manning playing football with them shortly after his first Superbowl win. And Arch Manning threw more than one pass on that field when visiting with his cousins.

More history can be found at History through Homes and several books including Faulkners, Fortunes and Flames by Jack Case Wilson.