The Fire : Peach Orchard, AR
Across rural Arkansas, the spaces between towns are sprinkled with even smaller enclaves and communities. I often find myself asking the same question whenever I pass through such places: Why did people come together here?
Cotton gins. Rivers and crossroads. A store. The family. Disparate humans geographically collecting around necessary resources. The mythical instance when man first created fire. Modern explanations for gathering are as varied as primeval motivations. But at the core of communities everywhere, the desire for the familiar and the feeling of belonging form the bonds between mankind.
In May of 2024, Matthew and I were driving across farmland along Highways 34 and 90 when we stopped to explore Peach Orchard. It was new to me, yet familiar. Narrow streets named after trees. Shuttered stores. A tiny post office. Almost no one in sight, save an occasional passing truck. Then the call of rising smoke pulled us to a street on the very edge of town. Around a fire, a community was forming.
A couple of friends burning debris at the border of neighborhood and field drew in another local from down the road. One of the men’s futile effort to reign in the growing blaze with a garden hose ended after a few minutes of struggle and several good-natured insults. When a man in overalls pulled up on his motorcycle to join the three, the “King of the Hill” homage was complete. The scene was perfect. The opportunity to actually engage with the residents of this small town? A rare occurrence for us, and even better than the scene.
“So we gather around the fire of familiar places and the photos thereof, and welcome those who want to join us.”
We had a few brief moments to shoot the breeze with men who’d known each other for years and obviously enjoyed the connection they shared. No need for elaborate distraction or epic entertainment; burning scrap wood and conversation with people they knew was all they required. This simple enjoyment of simple things; we see it in the rural places of our home state, but it’s a universal desire and need. It's part of what we strive to show through the Rural Record.
When Matthew started the Record, I felt the connection to the forgotten places of my childhood through the images. It was so strong, it fueled an insatiable desire to contribute my own skills, knowledge, and memories to the Record. Why? Because we share a love of these places and the value they brought, and still bring, to Arkansas. So we gather around the fire of familiar places and the photos thereof, and welcome those who want to join us.
Welcome to our community.
