Photos by jcurtis55
INDIANA SPIRIT QUEST #635 "Mr. Vice President"
This quest will bring you to the Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis. Crown Hill is the third largest public cemetery in the United States with over 188,000 burials. There are several other caches in Crown Hill cemetery. It would be quite easy to spend a day here. The grounds open at 8:00AM and close at either 5:00 or 6:00PM, depending on the time of year. I would advise you check the Crown Hill web site if you plan on visiting late in the afternoon.
The posted coordinates will take you to a headstone for Thomas Andrew Hendricks and his wife Eliza. Mr. Hendricks is one of three United States Vice Presidents buried at Crown Hill. You will need information from the headstone to calculate the coordinates for the final cache location. Here is the information you need:
Thomas Hendricks date of death - ab/cd/efgh
Eliza Hendricks date of death - ij/kl/mnop
Q = B + H
R = C + D
S = G - J
The final coordinates are N39 49.QRS W086 10.LCM
Vice President Hendricks
Born in Ohio, Hendricks and his family moved to Indiana in 1820 when he was less than a year old. Hendricks County is named after his uncle William Hendricks, who was governor of the state from 1822-1825. Thomas attended Hanover College, studied law in Pennsylvania and then returned to Indiana to practice law in Shelbyville.
Five years later, in 1848, he entered politics, becoming a representative in the Indiana House of Representatives. The next year he became the speaker of the house. He became a US Representative from Indiana in 1850, and in 1851 he took part in Indiana's 2nd Constitutional Convention. He was part of the committee that established the structure of townships and county government.
In 1854 his political career saw a downturn as he lost reelection to the House. In 1860 he also lost in a run to become the Governor of Indiana. He went back to practicing law, but did not stay out of politics long as he won a seat as US Senator from Indiana in 1862, running on the Democrat ticket. He served one term before being replaced by the popular ex-governor Oliver Morton. Three years later Hendricks was back and this time was elected as Governor of Indiana, defeating the incumbent by only 1146 votes. He was a democrat Governor while most state positions were held by Republicans.
A critic of the Grant administration, Hendricks was considered a rising star for the democrats. He was the vice presidential candidate with Presidential candidate Samuel Tilden in 1876, but they lost the election. In 1884, Hendricks once again found himself as the vice presidential candidate. This time he was the running mate of Grover Cleveland. They won the election and in March 1885 they were inaugurated. Unfortunately, Hendricks became ill after a return trip to Indiana and died after serving but a few months of his term. President Cleveland attended his funeral in Indianapolis and he was intered at Crown Hill.
1908 $10 Bill
Thomas Hendricks is the only Vice President, who did not also serve as US President, to be pictured on United States money. He appeared on the 1908 $10 silver certificate. His portrait was framed by a border in the shape of a headstone, and the bill is still known to collectors as the "tombstone note". One of these bills in excellent condition is worth a few thousand dollars.
The cache container is a small clip with a small tube attached.