The Jump Off Rock Mural Restored by Knox Crowell (142 3rd Ave West)

This episode features the Jump Off Rock mural on the side of the Brooks Tavern building at 142 3rd Ave. West. The date of the original mural is unknown but is estimated to have been painted sometime in the 1920’s. In 2014, the mural was restored by local artist Knox Crowell.

Knox is a trained graphic artist and illustrator with an interest in local history. He is a former director of Henderson County Heritage Museum.

In addition to restoring this mural, Knox has painted nearly half a dozen murals over the years in the area. The main subject of the mural is Jump Off Rock, a large stone outcropping on top of Davis Mountain which rises above Hendersonville just a few miles to the west of downtown. It has long been a tourist destination because of its beautiful views of the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains. The mural advertised the site and encouraged visitors to make the short drive to enjoy the vistas.

Knox said it was a challenge to bring the iconic wall art back to its former glory and he will tell us about how he did it and the challenges he faced.

Knox will also give us some of the history of Jump Off Rock and Laurel Park, the community where Jump Off Rock is located and where he grew up.