Walton-Young Historic House

Built in 1880, the Walton-Young House is a Mississippi Landmark. After housing the Walton and Young families, which included Stark Young—who became a famous novelist, playwright, and critic—the First Presbyterian Church of Oxford purchased the home in 1925 and used it as a parsonage. In 1974, the University of Mississippi bought the home, and it then housed the Center for the Study of Southern Culture and the Honors College until 1997 when it became a part of the University Museum.

Originally built in 1880, the structure is a testament to what a common middle class home of the Victorian era would look like. The first homeowner, Horace H. Walton, owned and operated a hardware store on the Oxford Square. He lived in the home with his wife Lydia and their three children, Lewis, Victoria, and Horace, until he passed away in 1891. It was at this time that the home began a relationship with the University of Mississippi, for Lydia boarded college students at the home in order to remain financially stable after her husband's passing.

She remarried Dr. Alfred Alexander Young of Como, MS in 1895. He, his son, Stark, and daughter, Julia all moved into the home. According to the official website of the home,

"Stark Young was the most famous resident of the Walton-Young house, and he remained there while attending Ole Miss at the turn of the century. Young became a well-known novelist and playwright."¹

After Dr. and Mrs. Young passed away, the First Presbyterian Church of Oxford bought the home in 1925 to use as  a parsonage. Four different families resided in the house over the next fifty years until 1974, when the university bought the house and used it for the Center for the Study of Southern Culture and the Honors College. In 1997, the house became a part of the University Museum. According to the official website, 

"The house is located at the corner of University Avenue and Fifth Street, adjacent to the University Museum. The house is currently closed to the public for renovations."¹

Although the house is closed to the public, the University of Mississippi Museum created an art installation at the house in early 2019. The installation featured art from local artists Rebekah Flake, Valerie Guinn Polgar, and Sarah Barch. The purpose of the installation is to bring the house to life. Due to its location and its links to both the town and the university, the house is seen as a point of connection for the area.

¹. "Walton-Young Historic House." The University of Mississippi Museum. Accessed June 16, 2015. http://museum.olemiss.edu/historic-homes/walton-young-historic-house.

2. Photo: The University of Mississippi Museum

3. UM Museum Announces New Walton-Young House Art Installation. Hotty Toddy. April 04, 2019. Accessed July 08, 2019. https://hottytoddy.com/2019/04/04/um-museum-announces-new-walton-young-house-art-installation/.