Situated on the corner of Grove Loop and Sorority Row, Farley Hall occupies a quaint position a stone’s throw from the hustle and bustle of the heart of campus. Being across the street from the Grove allows for some improvisation in the area of classroom setting when the weather is pleasant. Saturated with history, exemplifying antebellum architecture, housing top notch teaching technology, Farley is the quintessential example of an Ole Miss facility.
But the history of Farley Hall begins long before its construction in 1929.
Early History
A marker was placed on the grounds near the building’s West entrance in 1954 by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History detailing the site’s history:
“Originally built for use as magnetic observatory. Used as Confederate Morgue after Battle of Shiloh in April 1862. Also used by Gen U.S. Grant in fall of 1862 and later by forces of Gen Nathan B. Forrest.”
The morgue, or “Dead House” as it was once known, was demolished in 1958 to allow for expansion.
Farley has gone through many renovations since that time, the last of which being the Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics in 2008.
The Overby Center
As suggested by the inscription of “RELIGION, SPEECH, PRESS, ASSEMBLY, PETITION” that dominates the façade of the building, The Overby Center’s mission is “to create better understanding of the media, politicians and the role of the First Amendment in our democracy.”
“The building’s location is the most strategic on campus,” said Dr. Samir Husni, “It’s close to the Grove. It’s close to the Union. It’s close to everything.”
This proximity invites students to come to guest lecturers in Overby’s 225-seat auditorium, explore headlines from across the South on one of the Center’s nine news televisions or enjoy the Daily Mississippian in the Samuel S. Talbert Reading Room.
When asked about the importance of our facilities an atmosphere, ASB President Taylor McGraw said, “My fondest and most vivid memories of growing up in Oxford are tied to physical structures… images of 'place' are inextricably tied to my sense of the culture here. I take ownership of these images and store them in the part of my brain that is labeled 'home.’”
The University of Mississippi as an institution is saturated in culture and history. But the whole couldn’t exist without its individual parts, and Farley Hall exemplifies the best of what is our beloved Ole Miss by embracing the past in its architecture and the future with its technology, all while paying homage to some of the university’s greatest alumni.
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