When I tell people I go to school in Roach, Missouri, a lot of unpleasant images come to mind. But let me assure you that they are mostly false. Roach is a tiny town outside of Camdenton near Ha Ha Tonka state park. Although you may immediately equate the name with large, ugly beetles that crunch disgustingly under your shoe, Roach is actually a picturesque little town. There is a small post office with a friendly postmaster
and a church. There are many rumors regarding the nature of this church, the most interesting of which, is that they do snake handling in an imitation of the Apostle Paul.
There are several interesting houses in Roach that range from rustic to picturesque,
and one gas station.
Apparently, Roach did not receive its name because of its abundance of cockroaches. In fact, I haven't seen a single roach since being here, but, if I were to name it for an unpleasant bug, I would name it "Spider" or "Recluse." Roach was actually named after a prominent family that settled by a river in the 1800's. Apparently, Jack Roach was orphaned at age 3 shortly after the family moved to the area. Jack rose in prominence, becoming a steam boat pilot, joining the Union in the Civil War, becoming a probate judge, sheriff, and then prosecuting attorney of Camden County. His son also became the prosecuting attorney in his rise to prominence, and was eventually elected to the US House of Representatives for Missouri. So, you see, now that I know the distinguished history of Roach, I can unashamedly say that I live in a town which shares its name with one of God's ugliest creatures.
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| Cute, frisky goats at a small farm in Roach |
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| I'm not sure what the significance of this sign post is. |
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