About
Foxfire Ranch
Foxfire Ranch is a fourth-generation, Black-owned farm and cultural sanctuary in northern Mississippi dedicated to storytelling, musical exchange, and Black land stewardship.
Our mission is to celebrate, sustain, and share the rich traditions of North Mississippi Hill Country culture while supporting Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) land stewards in preserving their ancestral land and legacies.
Spanning 80 acres of land that offers trails, gathering spaces, and natural landscapes, Foxfire is more than a venue, it’s a living, breathing expression of community, resilience, and creativity. The land and architecture reflect the Hollowell family’s heritage and the enduring story of African American life in the Dark Corner.
Since 2007, Foxfire’s Sunday Blues Concert Series has kept Hill Country blues and juke joint traditions alive, hosting hundreds of events each year that honor local musical lineages like the Burnsides and Kimbroughs. The Ranch also serves as a hub for healing gatherings, storytelling, and legal and cultural workshops supporting Black landowners.
" Palpable there was the confluence of history, music, and cultural preservation that make Foxfire so remarkable." - Author Addie Citchens, Mississippi Folklife
History
The story of Foxfire Ranch begins generations ago in Dark Corner,where the Hollowell family first took root in the 1870s.
In 1919, Albert Hollowell fulfilled a long-held dream when he purchased the 80-acre parcel that still anchors Foxfire today, a piece of land that became both home and heritage for his wife Wilma and their six children. Decades later, their son Bill Hollowell honored that legacy by buying his siblings’ shares in the 1990s, turning his father’s vision of self-determination into a living reality. Together with his wife Annie, Bill nurtured the land into a space of gathering, creativity, and care. Today, their daughter Annette Hollowell continues this intergenerational story as co-steward, carrying forward the family’s commitment to land, community, healing and cultural preservation.
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Foxfire Ranch officially opened in 2008 as a recreational farm and cultural venue dedicated to preserving North Mississippi Hill Country Blues and Black agrarian culture. Since then, it has earned recognition from national and regional outlets—including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Mississippi Folklife as written by the wonderful Addie Citchens, and Garden & Gun Magazine-- as one of Mississippi’s most beloved cultural destinations.
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Programs like Hill Country Harmonica, the Foxfire Blues Assembly, and the We Are the Promised Land Podcast extend this legacy of storytelling, artistry, and land justice. Most recently, Oxford Magazine highlighted Foxfire Ranch as a place where “Southern roots sprout from old to youth,” underscoring its role in bridging generations through music, culture, and community.
Site Significance
Foxfire Ranch sits in Dark Corner, a historic African American settlement along Highway 7 between Waterford, Oxford, and Holly Springs.
Formed during the post-Reconstruction era, this community became a refuge of self-sufficiency, mutual aid, and cultural preservation amid the racial and economic challenges of the Jim Crow South.
Its isolation helped safeguard traditions like drum and fife music and Hill Country Blues, which remain vital expressions of African American resilience and identity today.
By preserving and reactivating this history, Foxfire continues the region’s legacy of creativity, resistance, and collective care, offering space for remembrance, learning, and joy.
"If you're looking for some of the best cornbread in North Mississippi you'll probably have to put up with some Hill Country Blues, children, and lots of hugs, because that's just the way Foxfire Ranch operates."
"The ranch is a loving, open-armed resource for community. It is a beacon of comfort, good energy, and great food with music to match"
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Values &
Principles
Foxfire Ranch is guided by values rooted in both hospitality and justice:
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Radical Hospitality: Every guest is welcomed with kindness, dignity, and care.
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Reciprocal Connection: We nurture relationships that sustain both community and land.
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Community Service: Our programs uplift and unite diverse groups through art, food, music, and dialogue.
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Openness & Accessibility: We create inclusive spaces for family gatherings, concerts, retreats, and celebrations.
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Cultural Preservation: We honor the legacy of Black landownership and ensure it endures for future generations.
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Flexibility & Adaptability: Our offerings evolve with community needs and interests.
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Mutual Respect: We maintain trust and collaboration with our neighbors and partners.
Through these principles, the Hollowell family continues to make Foxfire Ranch a beacon of belonging, cultural preservation, and land-based self-determination in Mississippi and beyond.
