Preserved in Eureka Springs

 

By Rod Shelley

In October of 1998, my wife and I spent a few days in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. It was our first trip there - and we fell in love with the place. We try to go there at least once a year. This particular trip was just a year before re-discovering my love for insulators. However, it wasn't without an encounter that did bring back lots of childhood memories.

There is an attraction called "Quigly's Castle" about 5 miles from Eureka Springs. The basic story behind this place is about a woman, who as a little girl collected thousands of different shaped rocks, crystals, and various other things. When she grew up and got married, her husband promised to build her a house using all the rocks she had gathered - but he never seemed to get around to it!

One day, while he was gone, she and her children actually tore down the house they were living in, and moved into the chicken koop! This was, of course, to get her husband to make good on his promise. She had designed the house just the way she wished - to bring nature indoors. The house had huge windows on the front, and the first 5 feet of floor inside were natural soil where trees would eventually grow inside the house - clear to the second story.

She also used the rocks to make all kinds of artsy sculptures in the surrounding yard. On top of one of these sculptures she incorporated - you guessed it - an insulator! See the photo below.

The house is still lived in by her granddaughter and her family. If you are ever in Eureka Springs, do yourself a favor and visit this place! Admission cost 5 bucks when we were there, but it's well worth it!!

 


Here's a little something for you bottle collectors! Evidently, she collected bottles, too. She created "bottle trees" by inserting wire rods in concrete "trunks" and sliding the bottles onto the wires!


Here's a close-up of one of the bottle trees. I'm sure there are a few bottle collectors out there drooling about these.


Here's another close-up. Anybody else remember Vess bottles like this??


And here's the insulator I mentioned earlier. This CD-115 looks pretty majestic sitting atop this sculpture! Before you cry about this, I have to tell you that this is the good side. The back of the insulator's skirt has a large portion broken out of it.




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Text and photos © Rod Shelley, 1999