The Three Crosses of Mapleton

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High above Mapleton, three white crosses stand on the rocky overlook residents call the Peak. Their story is one of recovery, gratitude, faith, and a family’s continuing care for a landmark visible throughout the valley.

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Portrait of Jack Leroy Wise as a young man — **Jack Leroy Wise**1932–2004

Three white crosses standing on a rocky overlook above Mapleton — The three crosses on the rocky overlook above Mapleton.

Jack Wise’s Promise of Thanks

Jack L. Wise of Mapleton raised the first cross by himself on the day before Easter in 1983. His wife, Ella Wise, told The Daily News in 2010 that Jack had been diagnosed with cancer in 1981. He credited his recovery to his family and friends, but above all to his faith in God. The cross was his private way of expressing that faith and giving thanks.

Jack cut down a tree, made it into a cross, nailed it together in an old quarry, and carried it across the rocks. The work lasted longer than he expected, forcing him to descend the mountain by flashlight. He hoped the cross would greet all of Mapleton on Easter morning, but fog initially hid it and, when the fog lifted, the rocks behind it made it difficult to see.

An earlier profile published in Common Grounds quotes Jack Wise directly about his cancer recovery, the first Easter cross, and the later work. The moonlit photograph is credited to Joe Wise. Clipping supplied to BrickTownPA by Jack’s grandson, David Yocum. Select to enlarge.

What the record supports

The first cross went up in 1983, the second in 1984, and the third in 1985. The family says the full project was completed in 1986. Jack’s brother, son, son-in-law, and neighbors helped with the later work. The 2010 newspaper account also recalls that four crosses stood for a time before one was removed.

First page of the April 3, 2010 Daily News article Wise's faith continues to shine over Mapleton — “Wise’s faith continues to shine over Mapleton,” page A1, April 3, 2010. Clipping supplied by Jack’s grandson, Jesse Wise. Select to enlarge.

Continuation on page A2 of the April 3, 2010 Daily News article about Jack Wise and the Mapleton crosses — The article’s continuation on page A2, including Ella Wise’s memories and the family’s commitment to the crosses. Clipping supplied by Jack’s grandson, Jesse Wise. Select to enlarge.

Community collage showing Jack Wise and the three crosses on the mountain — Jack Wise and the original three-cross landmark in a community remembrance titled “On a Hill Far Away.”

Three crosses overlooking the town of Mapleton and the Juniata River valley — Looking down from the crosses toward Mapleton, its transportation corridor, and the Juniata River.

Built from the Mountain

The 2010 account says Jack and his crew removed the bark, covered the crosses with aluminum flashing, cemented them into the rocks, and braced them upright. It gives the middle cross as 26 feet high and 10 feet wide; each outer cross measured 16 feet high and 8 feet wide. The bright covering made them visible to eastbound Route 22 travelers near Sand Plant Hill, although porcupines sometimes chewed away the aluminum.

Weathered original wooden crosses on the rocky Mapleton overlook — Weathered wooden members and protective wrapping on the overlook before later replacement work.

A Landmark Renewed

Wise’s family and friends have continued caring for the crosses after his death on June 6, 2004. On March 27, 2021, they climbed to the Peak for a major restoration. Family information supplied to BrickTownPA says the old original crosses were replaced with more durable crosses made from 12-inch PVC pipe. U.S. Silica of Mapleton donated all materials for the 2021 restoration, helping the family preserve Wise’s three-cross arrangement for another generation.

Family and friends working around an upright post during restoration of the Mapleton crosses — Work at the overlook during one phase of the family’s restoration effort.

Family and friends assembling large white pipe crosses on the rocky overlook — Family and friends assembling the more durable replacement crosses on the Peak.

More Than a Marker

For people traveling through Mapleton, the crosses are part of the town’s visual identity. For the Wise family, they remain a memorial to Jack. His grandson David Yocum publicly described them as “the crosses he put up in Mapleton” when sharing a tattoo honoring his grandfather in 2020. Their survival is therefore not simply the persistence of three objects on a ridge. It is the continuation of the thankful gesture that placed them there.

Documentation note: The crosses were not all erected in 1983. According to the Wise family, the first was installed in 1983, the second in 1984, the third in 1985, and the full project was completed in 1986. A 1990s Common Grounds profile quoting Jack says new crosses were added in 1984, 1985, and 1986 and that four stood briefly before he settled on three; the exact nature of the 1986 work therefore remains slightly different in the two accounts. The 12-inch PVC construction and U.S. Silica’s donation of all restoration materials in 2021 are credited to information supplied by the family.

Sources and Community Record

Becky Weikert, “Wise’s faith continues to shine over Mapleton,” The Daily News, April 3, 2010, pp. A1–A2 — interview with Ella Wise documenting Jack’s illness, faith, the first 1983 cross, later work, construction, dimensions, visibility, and the family’s continued upkeep. Both clippings were supplied by Jack’s grandson, Jesse Wise, and are reproduced above.
“Crosses on mountain symbolize man’s victory in an uphill battle,” Common Grounds, 1990s; exact issue and date not yet identified — quotes Jack Wise directly about his 1981 diagnosis, year of treatment, 1983 Easter climb, construction work, later crosses, and gratitude. The moonlit photograph is credited to Joe Wise. Clipping supplied by Jack’s grandson, David Yocum.
The Daily News, “The Three Crosses of Mapleton,” April 17, 2022 — later retrospective on Wise and the landmark.
Mapleton, PA community post, March 27, 2021 — documents family and friends replacing one cross and repairing another.
Marco Guzman, public Facebook community remembrance, March 18, 2020 — records the account that Wise built the crosses after beating cancer, in thanks for the community’s prayers and support, and describes the originals as trees wrapped with aluminum.
David Yocum, public Facebook post, July 7, 2020 — Wise’s grandson identifies the Mapleton crosses as his grandfather’s work.
Wise family information and photographs supplied to BrickTownPA — the 1983, 1984, and 1985 installation sequence; completion in 1986; replacement with 12-inch PVC pipe; and U.S. Silica of Mapleton’s donation of all materials for the 2021 restoration.

Continue Exploring Mapleton

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