19”x42”
In 1836, James Hesselgessel , a German Immigrant found this outcropping of granite rock on a mountain top overlooking the wild Asaph Area, which has inspired several of my paintings. It is thought to possibly be the first stone quarry in Pennsylvania. James was carving mill stones from these rocks for local mills. Then suddenly in the early 1860’s, he disappeared and the quarry was abandoned. There are a few different theories or legends concerning his demise. One theory is that he joined the Union Army and was killed in battle during the Civil War, but there are no records to support this. Another story is that he was murdered and buried somewhere in this forest. A third and more plausible story is that he became very ill with flu-like symptoms and walked several miles to the village of Little Marsh, PA where he was taken in by a family until he succumbed from his illness. The configuration of these rocks and the textures of moss as nature reclaimed them, fascinated me, and whichever legend about James Hesselgessel is true, these rocks are his legacy.