OXFORD,
\nMiss. – There’ll be no tricks, but plenty of treats Halloween afternoon
\nat the Walton-Young Historic House on the corner of Fifth Street and
\nUniversity Avenue.<\/p>\n
The locale is the site for the University of
\nMississippi Museum’s Fall Harvest Festival. Activities begin at 4 p.m.
\nFriday (Oct. 31) with music, games, crafts and fun for the whole
\nfamily. The event is free and open to the public.
\n
“The Fall Harvest Festival is a fun way for the museum to announce new weekend hours for the Walton-Young House,” said Holly Bethune, museum curator of education. “Previously it was only open on Fridays, but hours of operation are being expanded to include Saturdays and Sundays as well.”<\/p>\n
The change is an effort to refocus local attention on both Walton-Young and Rowan Oak as educational resources, Bethune said. Rowan Oak was the site for the museum’s Halloween observance last year. The museum plans to alternate annual activities between the two locations, she added.<\/p>\n
“We’re very excited about parents and teachers utilizing the house to inform their children and students about these historic treasures right in our own community,” Bethune said. “Though it is often overshadowed by William Faulkner’s more renowned mansion, Walton-Young is a beautiful example of the rising middle class of the era in which it was built.”<\/p>\n
Tours on Friday are to include “The Spirits of Walton-Young,” performed by the North Mississippi Storytellers Guild. Patrons can expect to be entertained by a musician on the front porch and to listen to various characters share interesting facts about the house.<\/p>\n
“In 1880, Horace Walton, who owned a hardware store in Oxford, purchased roughly two-and-a-half acres of land for a little over $1,200,” said Robert Krause of St. Petersburg, Fla., a graduate research assistant for University Museum and Walton-Young House. “With help from local architect T.G. Torgeson, Walton completed building the home that same year. The fact that none of the woodwork in the house has ever been replaced is a testament to Mr. Walton’s building skills and materials.”<\/p>\n
Besides Walton’s family, UM students lived in the house from 1892 to 1896, Krause said. “Some folks believe the house to be haunted as well,” he added.
\nFor more information about the Walton-Young House, contact Bethune at 662-915-7205 or Krause at 662-915-7073. For additional information about the University of Mississippi Museum & Historic Houses, visit http:\/\/www.olemiss.edu\/musuem.<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"