A Trip Down Memory Lane

Eudora Welty, strangely enough, has many things in common with us, one of which was her love for Southern culture. We had heard many times, on different occasions, that we must go visit the Welty house just down the street.

On a beautiful afternoon we took the nice ten minute stroll from Millsaps to the Belhaven community. We passed by all sorts of beautiful homes, and suddenly found ourselves exactly where we had to be, but only 15 minutes too late.

Upon walking in the house, we were greeted with fans, to keep us cool, and a film, to educate us on the life of Eudora. Once the video was finished, we realized we shared the same love of writing she once had. The books scattered about her home had the same feel our dorm room has; not one ounce of space that a book didn’t cover!

When we were traveling from room to room we both couldn’t believe the stories we heard about her life in and out of Jackson. She even attended the University of Wisconsin, just as Emily did prior to Millsaps. She also craved new adventures like we always do. Rose has been all over the world, from India to France to even Switzerland, and Emily has traveled all over England, France, and Italy! We all must have had the same travel bug.

What surprised us most was the location of the Welty home. Eudora and her family moved into their neighborhood when it was still considered the outskirts, almost a rural-like setting, of Jackson. We just couldn’t imagine Jackson any other way than the Jackson we fell in love with less than three months ago. Imagine the roads surrounding Belhaven composed of gravel, and the neighborhoods less suburbanized!

As usual, we both lost track of time and had to end the tour before we even made it to the backyard garden. On our power-walk back to campus, to try and catch our classes, we both could not stop talking about Eudora and the face she made for herself here in Jackson. We both appreciate Jackson, and we especially appreciate others who share in our feelings. Jackson has so much to offer, people just need to slow down and take a step back, because it is right in front of their faces.