Meek-Duvall-Doty House
- Jay Brothers
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
803 University Ave. Oxford, MS
Circa 1878. 2-story Italianate style home
The home which sits astride a hill on University Ave. overlooking the road.
Capt. Andrew Jackson Baker was the builder. Baker (1842-1912) and Corinne Jordan Kearney (1851-1872) wed in 1868 After her death, he remarried to Elizabeth "Bettie" Newome Kearney (1849-1918) in 1872. This home and “Fiddler’s Folly” were the first two substantial homes built after the Civil War. He was part of the “University Greys” because of the number of Ole Miss students who enlisted. He was a lawyer in Oxford post-war until moving to Texas in 1884.
Six years later, Capt. Baker sold the home to the Meek family and journeyed to California. In 1896, Ole Miss student Elma Meek submitted “Ole Miss” for the school’s yearbook name. It was later adopted for the university’s nickname as well. Afterward, the home was known locally as the Elma Meek home. In 1929, William and Estelle Faulkner rented the home for a short time. Faulkner wrote As I Lay Dying and A Rose for Emily there.
At some point, the Howard Duvall, Jr. family owned the home. Duvall Jr. (1932-1996) and The Duvalls owned a clothing store Duvall's (1958) on the Oxford Square. Howard Duvall started the store as a men's clothing store Duvall's Men Shop and over the years it evolved to a women's dress store. In the 1970s, Teresa Duvall Flautt and Ruth Ellen Duvall resided at the home and owned the store. .
Next, Beth and Richard Doty purchased the home in1999. Both had been students at Ole Miss, moved to Jackson, and retired to Oxford in 1985. They had lived near the Meek home when the opportunity came to purchase it. NR 2009
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