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The Plot Thickens Mystery Cache

This cache has been archived.

BBWolf+3Pigs: Well, the final is indeed missing. It took me quite a bit of effort to find hiding spots near cemeteries that were not in cemeteries, so I really don't want to do it again.

I'll see if I can put a new cache near the final location...it's too nice a park to not have a cache.

Of course, if someone else wants to place one, go for it!

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Hidden : 10/8/2004
Difficulty:
2.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1 out of 5

Size: Size:   small (small)

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Geocache Description:

This is a four-part puzzle cache that takes you through some historic cemeteries in Newport, Middletown and Portsmouth. Some preliminary research will be required for Stage 1 and Stage 2.

The listed coordinates are for the Trinity Church cemetery, where there are several Revolutionary War gravesites. One notable person buried there is Admiral de Ternay, who was in command of the French Navy and transported the army of Lieutenant General Rochambeau, commander of the French expeditionary forces in America during the Revolution. This is about .25mi from the cache start location.

The coordinates you calculate for each stage will get you to the proper cemetery. Some hunting may be required at each site. Please be sure to read through the entire listing before setting out. This cache requires some driving between sites (less than 10 miles from the first stage to the last). Please be respectful of the sites being visited. One of the sites is near a school, so please take that in to account when hunting. As a cover story, use the old standby, "I'm doing some genealogy research."


To start, you will need to do a little research. The following stanza is taken from a poem that was written about an historic landmark in Newport. You need to determine who wrote the poem, when it was written, and when poet died.

"Gone are the living, but the dead remain,
And not neglected; for a hand unseen,
Scattering its bounty, like a summer rain,
Still keeps their graves and their remembrance green."

Stage 1 is located at:

41° 29.zx0' N
Where 18xz is the year the poet died (reverse the tens and ones digits)

71° 00.034' + ab.cd0' W
Where abcd is the four-digit year the poem was written (or the publish date-2)

Once there, you will need to find an informational marker. On the marker are the year that the land was purchased, and a list of names. Find the year of death for the second name in the first column (the person's gravemarker is visible from a sidewalk).


Stage 2 is located at:

41° 13.009' + ab.cd' N
Where abcd is the year the land was purchased

71° 00.399' + wx.yz' W
Where wxyz is the year the person died

At these coordinates, you will find the grave of one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Once there, you need information from the two headstones to either side of the person's grave.


Stage 3 is located at:

41° 30.103' + 00.ab' N
Where ab is the year of his life in which Edmund died (headstone directly on the left)

71° wx.yz0' - 00.019' W
Where wxyz is the year Abigail died (black headstone directly on the right). You may need to move the grass a bit to see the year on the bottom right corner of the stone.

At these coordinates is a small cemetery. You need some information from the readable headstone placed for a man and wife.


Stage 4 is located at:

41° 31.504' + a.bcd' N
Where abcd is the year Phebe died

71° 11.333' + x.y' W
Where xy is the age at which Samuel died

There is no need to actually enter the cemetery at this stage. The cache is not in the stone wall. There is parking just south of the final coordinates. The area can be a muggle rich environment, so please use stealth mode to retrieve the cache. The container is a German Army butter dish - about 4" in diameter, and 1" tall (see the photo). There is a small logbook and a few very small goodies to start. There is not a lot of room, so if you do plan on trading, make sure the item is very small. I am starting an appropriate Travel Bug here as well. Please secure the lid tightly, and be sure to re-hide the container well.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

[Final (Spoiler):] Oruvaq gur fghzc.

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)