Category: United States

The life and story of a 18th-century New Hampshire (US) hermit is recreated in a new book by Amani Willetts titled The Disappearance of Joseph Plummer. The book uses narrative, photography, and archival material to recreate the mystery.

“Before he left society for a life in the woods he [Plummer] was basically anonymous,” Willett said. “It was his act of leaving that turned him into a myth. Paradoxically, his desire to become invisible has only fueled people’s interest in his life.”

URL: https://hyperallergic.com/400898/amani-willett-photo-portrait-joseph-plummer/

An article in the Ellwood City Ledger, Pennsylvania, presents a representative local history item on a local hermit named Joe Root: “Joe Root a late 1800s to 1915 woodland hermit of sort lived in may wooden shacks on Presque Isle.” The article offers an anecdotal account plus a few photos.

URL: http://www.ellwoodcityledger.com/news/20171117/introduction-to-joe-root

The article “The Pennsylvania Hermit: The Woeful Tale of a Grieving Brother’s Broken-hearted Hermitage,” in Ancient Origins, retells the story of Amos Wilson, who abandoned society in 19th-century Pennsylvania upon the execution of his sister for alleged murder of her infant out of wedlock. Wilson had gained the state governor’s pardon for her but arrived too late to save her. Both brother and sister are said to haunt the grounds where they resided.

See an early blog entry on Wison’s reported essay, Sweets of Solitude, here: https://hermitary.com/around/?p=18

URL: http://www.ancient-origins.net/history-famous-people/pennsylvania-hermit-woeful-tale-grieving-brother-s-broken-hearted-hermitage-021711?nopaging=1

Jean Guilhot, the Biloxi hermit of Deer Island (1877-1959), has been cited in this blog. His reputation as a benign and mysterious hermit in Biloxi, Mississippi (USA) is now found to involve a past of crime and politics, as revealed by E. Suarez of the Biloxi Local History and Genealogy Dept.

URL: http://www.sunherald.com/news/local/counties/harrison-county/article179834531.html

Guardian article with a twist on the idea of hermits as wise sages. Titled “This reclusive life: what I learned about solitude from my time with hermits.” Byline: “When the chaos of the big city began to drag, Paul Willis wondered if solitude might be the answer. Would his encounters with hermits yield what he wanted?”

The author is disillusioned with visits to two hermits in Arizona and New Mexico respectively. He concludes:

Among the Apophthegmata is a saying by an unknown hermit: “It is better to live among the crowd and keep a solitary life in your spirit than to live alone with your heart in the crowd.”

In other words, if you go into solitude to get away from something, your troubles will probably follow you.

URL: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/oct/06/hermits-solitude-wilderness-new-mexico