While visiting the Southern Tenant Museum in Tyronza, I heard about a restored dog-trot house in Twist, Arkansas. I added the dog-trot house to my list of things to see. But first of all, I had to find Twist. I’d never had reason to visit.

There were more grain bins than people in Twist. And most of the barns and buildings had been swallowed in vines. But around every bend in the Delta, there is deep southern history. Twist was no different. B. B. King played in a Twist nightclub in the 1950’s. During one of his performances, two guys began fighting over a woman named Lucille, knocked over a kerosene heater and burned down the building. King’s guitar narrowly escaped. After that, he named all his guitars “Lucille”.

Very cool.

But I was on a mission to find the dog-trot house. It was easy to spot in the middle of nowhere. Fully restored, the house is a historical monument to another time when cooking and dining occurred on one side of the structure, sleeping on the other. The center “dog-trot” breezeway provided a cooler place to sit when life did not include air-conditioning.

As I snapped pictures, I became intrigued by a lone tree standing in the field beyond the dog-trot passageway. Perfectly framed, it turned out to be an old family cemetery.

More exploring for me.

A few feet away, a fallen monument, partially hidden in the weeds. I wondered about the people who worked this land and were laid to rest on this property.

 

Spending time in this small, nearly forgotten cemetery seemed right. It was Father’s Day. I was feeling reflective. Homesick for Dallas yet sad to be leaving the Delta again. This little adventure provided another reminder of my fleeting time and the importance of those who came before me.

Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

“Funny when you’re dead how people start listenin’…” – The Band Perry

Musical Pairings:

If I Die Young, The Band Perry

Lucille, B. B. King