DPR - Fort Reno Cache Traditional Cache
DCDPR: DC DPR is archiving the DPR - Fort cache series. Our initial focus will be to replace the archived EIGHT WARDS OF WASHINGTON, DC GEOTRAIL series with an Adventure Lab series. Once the Adventure Lab GeoTrail is reactivated and working smoothly, we will evaluate recreating the DPR - Fort series as a Adventure Lab series as well.
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Size: 
(small)
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This is a part of the Fort Circle Parks series of caches placed by the District of Columbia’s Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), to bring attention to the six Fort Circle Parks that are managed by DC DPR. There are an additional 11 Fort Circle Parks managed by the National Parks Services. For more information go to http://www.americantrails.org/nationalrecreationtrails/trailNRT/FortCircle-DC.html.
Fort Reno contains the highest natural point in the District of Columbia and was the location of the only Civil War battle to take place in the District of Columbia, at the Battle of Fort Stevens. The fort was originally named Fort Pennsylvania and was only renamed Fort Reno in 1863 in honor of Major General Jesse Lee Reno who died at the Battle of South Mountain in 1862. It had a perimeter of 517 yard, with places for 27 guns, and places for 22 field guns. It had one 100-pound Parrott gun. The location in the heights of North West D.C. was ideal for a signal tower, which likely would have relied on line-of-sight communications. Eventually the fort had a dozen heavy guns and a contingent of 3,000 men, making it the largest fort of those surrounding Washington. The fort saw action on July 10–12, 1864, when Robert E. Lee sent 22,000 Confederates led by General Jubal A. Early against the 9,000 Union troops defending Washington (Ulysses S. Grant had depleted the Union defenses for his siege of Petersburg). The Confederates attacked from the north in Maryland. The initial warnings came from Fort Reno lookouts spying movement by Rockville. The attack itself was directed about 4 miles to the east across Rock Creek at Fort Stevens. The battle is known as "The Battle of Fort Stevens." Following the war the fort became a "Freetown" for freed slaves and later a reservoir. During the Cold War, Continuity of Government (COG) installations were built at Fort Reno. The large brick circular tower, which appears to be a water tower, is actually a 50s-tech communications array, on top of living facilities for the crew. The tower was a part of a string of similar installations that connected the White House to "Site R" Raven Rock in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania. (Source: Wikipedia) Fort Reno Park is located in the Tenleytown neighborhood of Ward 3. The park contains tennis courts and sports fields for baseball, soccer, football, and lacrosse. The park is also home of the Fort Reno annual free summer concert series started in the summer of 1968. Please note that GeoCachers must abide by all DC DPR rules, regulations and other restrictions. Night caching is expressly forbidden. Please rehide the cache as found. There are a number of kid friendly SWAG items in the cache, but please remember that if you take something, you must leave something of equal or greater value. There is a FTF GeoCoin for the first to find the cache.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Frpbaq ynetr gerr sebz vagrefrpvba jvgu Qbanyqfba Cy. Ybj naq ghpxrq njnl.