Over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house we go on this Thanksgiving Day. En route, we stumble upon this stone bridge in historic Fisher Park. The bridge is one of Greensboro's many stone structures crafted by Andrew Leopold Schlosser. Mr. Schlosser arrived from Germany in 1898 seeking a new life in America. He brought his his well-honed craft of stone masonry and immediately began using granite from the Mt. Airy, NC quarries, anchoring the stones with mortar and a distinctive technique that has people saying, "that must be a Schlosser house.. surely, Schlosser did that wall." From this tiny footbridge to the mighty stone mansion beside the First Presbyterian Church, Schlosser's structures are boldly distinctive.
By 1902, Schlosser's stone masonry business was sufficiently underway and he was settled enough to bring his family to America to join him. Not unlike the pilgrims of Plymouth Rock, the Schlossers resettled and contributed to their community in a way that has them remembered today.
On this Thanksgiving Day is you are living in the USA, we hope you are able to give thanks for all that you have and that you pause and reflect on your own family's journey to America. As for Mr. Schlosser, we are thankful that you crafted so many beautiful structures for us to enjoy in Greensboro. Finally, we hope that your biography and the documentation of your stonemasonry becomes more transparent on the Internet and, at the very least, someone establishes a Wikipedia entry for one of Greensboro's finest!
What a talent. Thanks for sharing.
Posted by: Bill B. | Thursday, November 26, 2009 at 07:37 AM
Janis: call me. My computer will not let me access my e-mail. Love ALS. As a child when my grandmother was hospitalized at St. Leo's (southwest corner of Summit and Bessemer Avenues) I spent a fair amount of time playing in the grotto on the hospital gounds. It too was a Schlosser creation.
Posted by: Alice | Thursday, November 26, 2009 at 05:22 PM
Beautiful stonework and a most meaningful post for this special day.
Wishing you and your family a blessed and happy Thanksgiving!
Posted by: Hilda | Friday, November 27, 2009 at 03:25 AM
Wow, what a gorgeous autumn picture
Posted by: ineke | Friday, November 27, 2009 at 02:34 PM
Another gorgeous view! I see more color in your photos - is it a new technique?
Posted by: Ellie | Saturday, November 28, 2009 at 02:46 PM
The technique is called getting outside on a sunny day. Light can really perk up and add color to a photograph! Plus, I LOOK for color! Thanks for noticing, Ellie. I, too, thought this was a colorful week.
Too bad people are too busy eating turkey to look much! Stats remain the same but comments down!
Posted by: Greensboro Daily Photo | Saturday, November 28, 2009 at 03:13 PM
Jan, it has been a bad week for comments. The list of my incoming ones is all screwy. And many comments I wrote to others, e.g. on this very post, disappeared.
Posted by: Dina | Sunday, November 29, 2009 at 07:58 AM
I hope your Thanksgiving weekend was blessed.
Posted by: FA | Sunday, November 29, 2009 at 06:26 PM