The State Historic Marker Program closed in 1939 and with it its funding. Despite the advice to adopt a new marker shape, proportion, and color scheme, following the close of the State program in 1939, local individuals and local historical and governmental organizations continued to erect at their own initiative and expense "state" historic markers very similar to the originals. None of these similar looking markers - erected after 1939 and NOT by the State Education Department [1929-1939] - appear on the website.

• George R. Hamell
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• Ethnology Collections Manager
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• Research & Collections Division New York State Museum
  
  

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History in the Marking Part 1: Albany County 1.1 This cache is part of the “History in the Marking Part 1” cache. To get credit for this cache, you will need to collect some information, then manipulate that information to determine the coordinates. The coordinates that you figure out will put you close to a place to park to continue your adventure in history! To get credit for the “History in the Marking Part 1” you will have to complete this cache, as well as all of the other caches involved in this listing.

The “History in the Marking Part 1” cache has 22 components. To get credit for this cache, you will need to complete 14 (part a) caches, which will lead you to an additional 7 (part b) caches, which will then lead you to what I have dubbed, the “Final Final”.

Here’s what you will be doing:

Part a

Follow a trail of waypoints that mark a single (or a few) historical signs. Retrieve the information necessary from said signs to come up with a waypoint that has a micro with coordinates for a final or multi-final location. Each of the caches will have the required logbook as well as one set of coordinates for that county’s “final”.

What you are looking for--><--The blue sign, not the building!

This is a picture of what you would be basically looking for! Not the building, but the blue sign in front of it! Not all signs are blue with yellow trim and lettering. Some may be brown, green, and even white.

Part b

If you find the two finals for each county, then you will have the complete set of coordinates for that county’s final which will then have a piece of a coordinate for the “Final Final”. All 21 parts will have to be completed in order to find the “Final Final”. Failure to do all parts may lead you to an incorrect spot!!

What the above means is that there is no way to cheat the system on this one! You will have to plot your points, and take the drive! The I.P. is the suggested beginning, generally for a good reason. Some trails end where others begin, so you may find yourself driving a bit more than you might have thought!!

For various locations, you will be asked to retrieve information from the “Title”, “Body”, or “Reference” portions. See the sign segments below to see what I am talking about.

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For this sign, this is the title. Some titles may say, “Site of…” or have a long arrow pointing in one direction with a distance on the next line.

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The body portion describes the event or dwelling that was near here.

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The “reference” is a name I have given this portion. It usually states who put the sign up and sometimes when the sign was erected. This portion is often excluded from information gathering.

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Physical cache is located at: N42° (Total C) W74° 0(Total F)

The I.P. marks the start of your adventure in to history!! You can approach this cache from any direction, but there must be an obvious reason for this being that starting point, correct?!?!

Unless otherwise noted, use only the information from the body of the signs.

1. Sign 1-From this sign, you will need to write down the year in which this sign was put in to place.
2. Sign 2-From this sign, you will need to write down the year you see.
3. Sign 3-From this sign, you will need to write down the two (body of text only) different years. Each should be a total of 4 (hint) digits each.
4. Sign 4-Write down the “title” of this sign. Also, count all letters (from the whole of the sign) that make up this sign and write that number down..
5. Sign 5-From this sign, write down all the numbers that you see and put a note on the side of the numbers noting what they represent.
6. Sign 6-From this sign, write down both of the years that you see.

Now that you have gathered all of this information; (and hopefully learned a very small bit of history from these signs) it is time to assemble the coordinates so that you can start your daily regiment of walking.

Now that you have gathered all of this information; (and hopefully learned a very small bit of history from these signs) it is time to assemble the coordinates so that you can start your daily regiment of walking. Multiply each of the dates that you wrote down ( you should have 8 dates) times the number of letters in the title of the sign that you wrote down from sign four. Put them in the order in which they were found. Add the first five totals together then add the last three numbers together. Subtract the total of 3 numbers FROM the total of the 5 numbers and write this number down for later use, calling it ‘Total A’.

Multiply the number of letters in the title of sign four by the total number of letters on sign four. Add to this total, the number of pupils (from sign 5) that were in school in 1816. Subtract from this total the number of school districts in 1813. From this total, add the number of school districts (from sign five) there were in 1812. This number is ‘Total B’.

Add ‘Total A’ and ‘Total B’ to get ‘Total C’ which you can now plug in to its spot above.

Continue along to the next series of signs to gather the information that you will need for the next total.

From these six signs, gather the following information:

1. Sign 7-The year posted on this sign in which the item was built.
2. Sign 8-The year this sign says that this item was built.
3. Sign 9-The number of people that built this item.
4. Sign 10-The year in which this place was established.
5. Sign 11-The year this place was built and its production per day.
6. Sign 12-The dates settled, served, and death as well as the month, day of death and age at death.

Now that you have gathered this information, it is time for more calculations! Add all the years from the signs together (do not include productions dates of any signs when doing this). Multiply the day of death times the month of death from Sign 12 and subtract this total FROM the total of all the dates. Call this number ‘Total D’.

Compute how many units can be produced over a 9 day span of the items from sign 11 and add the age of the man from sign 12 and subtract from that the transposed day of death from sign 12. Call this ‘Total E’.

Subtract ‘Total E’ from ‘Total D’ to compute ‘Total F’. Plug ‘Total F’ in to the spot above to find your destination.

The other caches are listed below.

Part a:

1. History in the Marking Part 1: Albany County 1.0
2. History in the Marking Part 1: Columbia County 1.0
3. History in the Marking Part 1: Columbia County 1.1
4. History in the Marking Part 1: Montgomery County 1.0
5. History in the Marking Part 1: Montgomery County 1.1
6. History in the Marking Part 1: Rensselaer County 1.0
7. History in the Marking Part 1: Rensselaer County 1.1
8. History in the Marking Part 1: Saratoga County 1.0
9. History in the Marking Part 1: Saratoga County 1.1
10. History in the Marking Part 1: Schenectady County 1.0
11. History in the Marking Part 1: Schenectady County 1.1
12. History in the Marking Part 1: Schoharie County 1.0
13. History in the Marking Part 1: Schoharie County 1.1

Part b:

1. History in the Marking Part 1: Albany Final
2. History in the Marking Part 1: Columbia Final
3. History in the Marking Part 1: Montgomery Final
4. History in the Marking Part 1: Rensselaer Final
5. History in the Marking Part 1: Saratoga Final
6. History in the Marking Part 1: Schenectady Final
7. History in the Marking Part 1: Schoharie Final
8. 
   
   

Final Final

1. History in the Marking: Final Final
   

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People that do not wish to do a cache because of any danger they might perceive to be present is certainly within their right to not proceed. However you do not have the right to try to ruin the enjoyment of others in attempting a find that is beyond your capabilities, but not beyond theirs. This goes for almost every caching event there is. After all one might run into spiders, snakes, poisonous plants, trips and falls and the list goes on.

Safety First! .......Take a friend, Look out for others, take a cell phone if possible, watch where you're stepping, NEVER UNCOVER ANY CACHE WITH YOUR HANDS OR FEET, USE A STICK! If you feel uncomfortable in doing a cache, for any reason, just walk away!!!