William Falkner Heritage

Colonel William Clark Falkner's Home

Colonel William Clark Falkner 1825 - 1889

Faulkner scholars and family members claim that William C. Falkner, the first Mississippi Falkner, arrived in Ripley in 1842. Leaving his financially strained family behind in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, the teenage William traveled south to live with his attorney. In early 1847, William left his new home to enter the Mexican War. Sustaining injuries from a rifle shot within weeks of his arrival, the twenty-two year old returned to Ripley where he became an attorney, married an affluent young woman, and had his first child, John Wesley Thompson Falkner. When his wife died of tuberculosis less than a year later, William gave custody of his young son to the relative for whom he was named. He then went on to remarry, serve as a colonel in the Civil War, own and operate the Ripley Railroad, and write a best-selling novel, The White Rose of Memphis. John W. T. Falkner lived with his great uncle in Ripley until after the Civil War when he enrolled in a law program at the University of Mississippi in Oxford. Graduating in 1869, he soon after married Sallie Murry, a prominent woman from Tippah County. John and his new wife then moved to Ripley where the couple had three children: Murry Cuthbert, Mary Holland, and John W. T. Jr. Fifteen years later, in 1885, the family relocated to Oxford. Their eldest son, Murry, attended the town's newly formed public school and then, like this father, the University of Mississippi. Distracted by his interest in his grandfather's railroad, however, Murry moved to Pontotoc in 1889 to work on the south end of the line. During a visit home in 1896, Murry met Maud Butler whom he courted for ten days and then married. The newlyweds moved to New Albany where, on September 25, 1897, William Cuthbert Falkner* was born. A year later, the Falkners relocated to Ripley and then, in 1902, the family finally settled in Oxford. Here William spent most of his childhood and youth, briefly attended the University of Mississippi, married and lived, from 1930 until his death in 1962, at his antebellum home, Rowan Oak. *Faulkner allegedly added the "u" to his family name in 1918 when posing as an Englishman to join the Royal Air Force. FALKNER ATTRACTIONS IN RIPLEY R. J. Thurmond Office / Renfrow's Cafe - The approximate location where, on November 5, 1889, Colonel William C. Falkner was shot by his former business partner, R. J. "Dick" Thurmond. While there were various accounts of the event, it was known that the two men, co-owners of the Ripley Railroad, had fought openly about its operation. Falkner died the next morning. Thurmond, however, was found not guilty in his 1891 trial. Ripley Public Library - Falkner family photographs and scrapbooks as well as first editions of the Colonel's books, including The White Rose of Memphis, are housed in the town's library. Hours of operation are Mon., Wed., Fri., Sat. 9am-5pm and Tue., Thurs. 9am-8pm. Closed on Sunday. Home of Dr. John Y. Murry - The antebellum home once inhabited by William Faulkner's less controversial grandfather, Dr. Murry. The founder of one of the most prominent families in Ripley, the physician served one term in the Mississippi House of Representatives and was once the leading Mason in the state. Statue of Col. W. C. Falkner, Ripley Cemetery - Crafted by C. J. Rogers and Sons of Grand Junction, Tennessee, the twenty-two foot marble monument features the Colonel in a frock coat and vest with his left hand tucked into his front trouser pocket and his right hand-missing parts of three fingers-extended forward. According to legend, one of Thurmond's relatives shot off part of the hand after a night of heavy drinking. The Colonel's great-grandson, William Faulkner, eluded to the monument in Sartoris when describing Col. John Sartoris's grave: "He stood on a stone pedestal, in his frock coat and bareheaded, one leg slightly advanced." Report of the shooting published in the Ripley Advertiser, November 6, 1889: "About 4:30 yesterday we heard the report of a pistol on the west side of the public square; we went to the door and looking out, saw a crowd gathering, and upon inquiry learned that Col. W. C. Falkner had been shot by Mr. R. J. Thurmond. In answer to the question as to the cause of the shooting, we were told that there was no known cause-but Col. Falkner was standing on the pavement in front of, or near Alexander & Co.'s store, when Mr. Thurmond met up with him, and pointing his pistol at Col. Falkner's head, fired, without any apparent provocation. Mr. Thurmond was arrested soon after the shooting by Capt. Rutherford, and lodged in jail. If he had any cause for committing the act he has made no statement of it so far as we know, but has kept it to himself. It is well known, however, that an old feud existed between the parties-that neither one had any love for the other. But as the matter will no doubt undergo legal investigation, we do not propose to make any comment upon it one way or the other. Col. Falkner and Mr. Thurmond were two of our wealthiest and most prominent citizens, and the unfortunate affair is deplored by all good citizens." Ripley Post Office and Ripley Medical Clinic-This site is located in the exact spot that Col. Falkner's house known as the House of Seven Gables was located. The house that the Col. Built stood until 1935, when it was razed to make room for the new U. S. Post Office. Ma and Pa Tate purchased the house and took it apart piece by piece and used the building materials to build what is now known as the old Ripley Medical Clinic. It first stood as a beautiful antebellum style home for the Tate's and later had lives as a boarding house, the first Tippah County Hospital, and later as the Ripley Medical Clinic. Both have since been totally restored to their original grandeur and house the corporate headquarters of Dixie-Net, Inc. The restoration includes the original stairway, fireplaces, archways, and hardwood floors that came from the House of Seven Gables circa 1853. The Post Office has been fully restored and is used as a technical facility for Dixie-Net. The Post Office building has been included in the National Register of Historic Places. These buildings are open for public view Monday-Friday.

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