Fire In Okmulgee

I was raised in a small farm town in Oklahoma. The main streets of most of Oklahoma towns are very historical, and Okmulgee is no exception. Today my brother e-mailed me with pictures of one of our buildings on Main Street burning. It is disheartening to say the least, and the fire spread very fast.

I lived in Okmulgee most of my life. I left and came back – sometimes with my parents, and sometimes with friends or family – but I always came back. My main place to stay was with my grandmother. When I couldn't live anywhere else, I was with my grandparents in Okmulgee. My home town.

Going back always makes me feel like I am ‘coming home’, even though I have lived away from ‘home’ for over 30 years. Our family address is the same, friends and family still live there and very little about my hometown has changed – farming communities rarely do. Some businesses come and go, but in general – most are family ‘mom and pop’ places that stay forever… or until they burn down. Buildings in the town are so old they are like match sticks, so they go up fast. Today was such a day. It is with regret that I show pictures of a block we were very much a part of. The old hardware store… buildings we have seen all our lives – up in smoke. I doubt there was much to save:

Much like I would be - staring in disbelief.

I hope I am wrong. I hope tomorrow the news is better than it looks. Thank you Danny for sharing, but it is oohhh so sad. My heart stopped when you told me this block was gone. It was like a part of my heart was going with it. I just cannot believe it.