The best trips are often the least planned. As I spend more time venturing out to neighboring towns, often on an errand, I make notes of places I want to further explore on a return trip.
At least in the Ozarks, there’s a pattern of each little town having a square and certain businesses being on the square. I am originally from up north, and I can’t recall ever seeing a town square. There’s an entire sad, old uptown where I’m from that is slowly going through gentrification, but there are still dilapidated buildings and old storefronts in need of rescue.
While the aging and neglect of architecture happen here too, the town square is still a decent hub of each little area with some governmental anchor buildings, like courthouses. Most of the town squares I’ve encountered all have a cafe, barbershop, bank and health food store, among other shops. Are town squares a staple of the South? The move from Florida to Missouri was so far north for me, I keep forgetting that I am in the south, as accents here aren’t as strong as I’ve observed in Louisiana or South Carolina.
One square that I visited when I first moved to Missouri, in November, was in a town named Houston. It was on a Sunday and all the shops that I could see were closed, but I wanted to return. Months later, on a walk around town, I visited “the health food store,” that’s the name. It was well stocked with as great a variety of local products as I have seen under one punched tin ceiling. After checking out the architecture and shops, I ended up one street off of downtown and was drawn in by a cute garden with walking paths, on a street corner.
It was missing traditional park signs, so I was hesitant to do what I wanted, upon looking closer I saw smaller, hand-painted signs marked the entrance. Off I went. It was a charming garden that someone had put a great deal of effort and care into establishing and decorating. The hymn “In the Garden” by C. Austin Miles (1912) popped into my head and took me right back to church. The song was later popularized by Johnny Cash ( https://youtu.be/py-_VnHv3gg ), Merle Haggard and Elvis Presley. It was a short walk, but the bible verses painted on stones and thoughtfully placed house materials (think sink top, door, etc.) were inviting and welcoming.
Once I exited the garden, a small parking lot and a building appeared, welcoming visitors to The Bible Museum. Somehow, I happened upon this place during the few hours that it was open (Saturday & Sunday 1-4). I was appreciative of the volunteer who staffed it and that it was a free museum, but I was more impressed that it worked out for me time-wise…somehow.
The collection has so many different types of bibles, several in other languages, along with artwork, musical instruments and more. The quantity and variety of manuscripts and bibles, some under glass for preservation was impressive. Oh, and the tiny bibles! Were all of the books of the bible actually printed in them? Why did they make them? How would anyone read one without hurting their fragile binding? I had so many questions that I didn’t get to ask in one visit. A kind and knowledgeable volunteer was on hand and we had a nice conversation about the evolution of the building and garden.
I stepped back into town, happy at the discovery and wondered at all the adventures yet to come.
