Rowan Oak: The house Faulkner bought in 1930. Built originally around 1844 by a Colonel Robert R. Sheegog for his wife (and known as the "Sheegog place" and later, "the old Bailey Place" when Faulkner bought it), Faulkner renovated the house and made it his home for the rest of his life. He named it "Rowan Oak" after the legend of Rowan tree recorded in Sir James Frazer's The Golden Bough; according to the story, Scottish peasants placed a cross of Rowan wood over their thresholds to ward off evil spirits and give the occupants a place of refuge, privacy, and peace. For more information, visit the Rowan Oak page in this web site.