History in the Marking Part 1-Schenectady County 1.0

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
• 
  
• Ethnology Collections Manager
• 
  
• Research & Collections Division New York State Museum
  
  

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

Part b

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.

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.

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

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.

Quest: To gather the information from the signs located at each waypoint to figure out the missing x’s.

42° xx.xxx

1st half computations to figure out North coordinates for this cache:

1. Sign 1: This road was used circa which year?
2. Sign 2: Which year was this sign made? Add the middle two digit to each other and then subtract each of the remaining digits from this total. Write down your computation.
3. Sign 3: This was the main route west until which year?
4. Sign 4: There are nine words that make up the information on this sign. Write down how many letters are in the first word and the sixth word.
5. Sign 5: Write down the year of the quote on this sign.
6. Sign 6: Write down how many words make up the body of this sign.

   Computations:

   Write down the last two digits that you took from sign five.
   From sign one multiply the first number times the second. Multiply that new number times the third and that next new number times the last. Write this two-digit number next to the previous two-digit number.
   

   You should have a four-digit number. Next to that, write down the result of the following computation:
   a: Write down the year from sign three. Subtract from that the number you wrote down from sign five. Write this number down.
   b: Multiply the computation you wrote down from the second sign by the answer from the sixth sign.
   c: Add the two numbers you wrote down from sign four.

   
   Subtract ‘b’ and ‘c’ from ‘a’ and write this number next to the four digit number from above.
   Reverse this number and plug it in to the North coordinates.
   

   ---

   For this portion of information collecting, you will proceed to the next clump of waypoints, collect information from them, and plug that information where it belongs into the coordinates.

   W 0ab° cd.efg

   1. You should be between two signs. Which single number is repeated most on these two signs? This number equals ‘a’
   2. How many signs are at this cluster? The answer equals ‘b’
   3. Count the number of letters in the title of this sign, or the last name of the person who once resided in this house. The answer is ‘c’ “Choose the sign that was the earliest placed sign.”
   4. There are three dates in the body of this sign. Which number do all these dates share in common besides ‘1’? The answer is the number for ‘d’
   5. This sign marks the site of a building. Write down the last letter in the year in which this building was destroyed. This number equals ‘e’
   6. Add the first two digits of the year of the “ride” together to find the number that equals ‘f’

   The first two years that are on this sign share the same last digit. This digit equals ‘g’

   Replace all the digits to find the West coordinates. You already figured out the North coordinates, so off you go to find a magnetic micro!!

   ---

   ---

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

   15. Part b:

   16. History in the Marking Part 1: Albany Final
   17. History in the Marking Part 1: Columbia Final
   18. History in the Marking Part 1: Montgomery Final
   19. History in the Marking Part 1: Rensselaer Final
   20. History in the Marking Part 1: Saratoga Final
   21. History in the Marking Part 1: Schenectady Final
   22. History in the Marking Part 1: Schoharie Final
   23. 
       
       

   Please do not be intimidated by seeing this as a “22 part monster cache” as not all parts have to be done. Do one, three, seven, 14, 21, or all 22. The choice is yours!