Joseph Root (1860 – 29 October 1912) was a well-known hermit who lived in what is now Presque Isle State Park in Pennsylvania.

Born in Erie, Pennsylvania,[1][2][better source needed] Root lived on Presque Isle without any modern conveniences.

[1][2] He was one of the first permanent inhabitants of the peninsula (Presque Isle wasn't declared an official state park until 1921[5]).

[6] There was a rumor that a dead cow once washed up on the shore of Presque Isle and Root fed off of it for an entire week.

[1][2] These friends were called the Jee-Bees (alternatively known as either GBs[3] or jeebies[6]); they were invisible nature spirits[7] who could accurately predict the weather.