Restaurant finds decades-old love letters within the walls during renovation — and pieced together a timeless romance
What started as renovation project turned into the unexpected discovery of an old love story.
A Central Arkansas couple set out to transform their 1930s farmhouse in Mayflower into a modern restaurant. But what started as a typical renovation project turned into the unexpected discovery of a long-lost love story, KARK 4 News reported on Jul 2, 2025. Robin Jones, the homeowner, said that it all started when the construction workers broke through the ceiling, and the first handwritten love letter fell. Before they knew it, nearly a dozen letters followed from the ceiling — all dating back to 1937 and signed by someone named Arlo.
The letters stand as a testimony of love between Arlo and his lover, Ruth. Interestingly, Jones, who found an obituary earlier, said she believed Arlo had written those letters for Ruth Elizabeth Adkisson, the woman who passed away at 106. "I miss you and love everything about you and want very much to see you," She smiled, reading a part of a love letter. The Mayflower family continued the renovation, and Jones said the letters have only made the venue more special. "We love knowing that there is a touch of love already here when we bought it, and then having the letters falling from the ceiling has been just incredible for us," she said. "We are happy to have the history here, already, and then this just adds an extra layer to it," Jones added.
Today, people may have forgotten the charm of writing love letters, but in the past, it was the only way, perhaps, to express love. In fact, kids who grow up in the era of TikTok and Facebook believe that writing love letters, or basically traditional displays of affection, is old-fashioned. A survey, commissioned by Bird & Blend Tea Co., found that 45% of young Brits (aged 18-35) have never written a love letter. Moreover, 37% of those surveyed admitted they wouldn't even know what to write, and 29% confessed they would feel silly. Looks like the 'new-age' kids would never understand the romance held within a handwritten love letter. A Michigan man named Rick Trojanowski, however, was lucky to stumble upon one such love letter from the past upon opening a toolbox that was over half a century old. In 2017, Trojanowski had bought the toolbox at a farm auction, and what he found inside was nothing short of a fairytale. "It’s almost like a true love story. People just don’t write things like that nowadays, it’s almost like poetry," he told WCSC.
The love letter, written by an Army veteran, Corporal Irvin Fleming, 70 years ago, was addressed to Mary Lee Cribbs in Grand Rapids from Corporal Irvin Fleming. Since the lovers lived apart, writing letters was their only way to keep in touch. In fact, the letter also revealed that once, when they disagreed with something, Cribbs didn't write back to Fleming. Later, the army veteran wrote the letter, apologizing and expressing his love for Cribbs. He wrote, "Mary, I need you so very much, and I know that I'll always love you."
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