Bruce Wright had no idea what he would do to make a living after he left the Coast Guard and followed his parents up to Eureka Springs. His parents, Jim and Beverly Wright, who raised five boys, decided to relocate from heavily polluted Lake Charles, La., to a 45-acre homestead near Eureka Springs to live in an area with clean air, soil and water.
“I did search-and-rescue during my five years in the Coast Guard,” Wright said. “I was stationed all over the country. Dad was still in the FBI, and his last tour was in Pine Bluff. They built a log cabin here in 1978. I was getting out of the military. My wife, Lynne, and I came up to visit on Christmas vacation and fell in love with the place.”
His first effort was building an A-frame chalet home with the help of his brothers, dad, and grandfather. He worked on the house during the day and at the Passion Play at night. Then he got a job helping build Thorncrown Chapel doing carpentry and staining beams. There he met Bob Wilson, who had lost his helper and hired Wright to help with the rock work. Wilson got out of the masonry business to open Bubba’s Barbecue, and Wright went into stone working full-time.
“I learned the trade of quarrying the stone, worked in the shop at the Eureka Stone Company at Elk Ranch, and became the quarry master cutting stone and installing it in town,” Wright said. “Then I went into my own business and did it here for thirty-five years until 2006. I did work not only in Eureka, including repairing old walls and building new ones, but also worked on Old Main at the University of Arkansas Fayetteville and at the Walton Arts Center. I worked at the Pea Ridge Battlefield Visitor’s Center in 2005 as a masonry contractor.”
During this time, Bruce and his wife, Lynne, raised two daughters, and Wright went on to build the family a four-story castle, Stonehaven, completed in 2005.
After their daughters left home, Bruce wanted to get to another level and use the skills learned and reputation gained in Eureka Springs to work on national treasures. He asked the project manager at the Pea Ridge Battlefield how to get a job with the National Park Service. He learned that NPS wanted to hire two masons with background in historic preservation. With more than 300 applicants, he got one of the jobs and entered into work that took him to many majestic national parks.
“There is a need for maintenance on these national treasures made of stone, brick and stucco,” Wright said. “I lived in an RV and ended up traveling all over the country, the East Coast, the West Coast, the Southeast, the Southwest and Hawaii. It was more than just doing masonry. It was learning history, culture and heritage.
“For example, the Hawaiians have certain ways to chant and pray before they set rock. In the Southwest I worked with the Apaches and learned how they make adobe. I learned an incredible amount at each job. It was so cool. It was a dream job.”
Wright wanted to get to yet another level, and jobs with the NPS fulfilled that ambition in ways he could never have imagined. Every five months or so, he went to work at a different park. He worked on historic government buildings in Washington, D.C. He worked for the NPS for 12 years full-time and has been called out of retirement to do an additional eight projects.
“They are still calling,” Wright said. “I wouldn’t have been able to do all this without the years I spent here learning all facets of masonry, including taking the rock from the mountain, quarrying it, hand tooling and carving it. The foundation, knowledge, skills, and experience allowed me to get jobs all over the country. I am devoted and driven, and I have passion for this work. I am slowing down on travel. I can pick and choose jobs.”
His work and insatiable desire to learn have taken him to Scotland five times working on castles, cathedrals and walls. Wright, who has Scottish ancestry, said his most recent project there was on a neolithic structure nearly 6,000 years old.
He has also traveled to Central America to study Mayan archeology in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Belize and Mexico.
“I’ve always had a passion for history,” Wright said. “I go to a site where archeologists are digging and find something. I work to figure out what the quarrying techniques were and what the carvings and symbols on stones mean.”
Wright is superintendent for the Eureka Springs Cemetery and has designed a kiosk to explain the symbols found on graves.
“I love this town because of the historic preservation opportunities,” Wright said. “I want to see historic preservation whether it is wood, stone or metal.”
He also carves stones into artwork and has put surprises in the form of carved rock art into places like the Planer Hill rock wall (hint… look for a piglet).
“I am an artist, so I am creative,” Wright said. “I find shapes in the rock that determine what I carve. What Mother Nature starts I can continue. I try to work every type of stone in the world and understand its density, texture, and how it polishes.”
Continuing the journey
After finding out that college education in Arkansas is free for people over 60, Wright went to the U of A Fayetteville.
“That changed my life,” Wright said. “What an opportunity. I got a bachelor’s degree in anthropology/archeology. I was able to bring some of my work experiences to the table for the discussion. Now I’m going after my master’s degree in geoscience and geoarchaeology. All the classes are done. I just need to defend my thesis. My thesis is on the only commercial historic building in town that is not restored, the powerhouse/icehouse near the train station on North Main. I plan to get a Ph.D. after finishing my master’s.”
He has learned a great deal about geospatial weathering and the deterioration of ancient and historic buildings and monuments. His archaeology travels were shut down because of Covid but he has a trip planned to the pyramids at Machu Picchu in Peru later this year.
Wright faced a huge challenge in 2017 when he came down with bone marrow cancer. He found it difficult, causing depression and fear, in addition to the physical side effects from cancer treatment. Wright recovered from the cancer and his motto now is, “No matter how bad things are, we are going to get through it.”
Wright has resumed his very active lifestyle. In addition to his physically demanding occupation, he enjoys bicycling, kayaking, walking, pickleball and hiking. He loves the Kings River, the Buffalo River, and many other areas of scenic beauty in Northwest Arkansas. “We are very fortunate to be in this area,” he said.
Wright recently took office as District 2 Justice of the Peace. A volunteer firefighter for 21 years, he also helped restore the historic Livingston Junction Cabooses that his daughter now operates as tourist lodging.