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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Follow the yellow brick road out one way and back the other, collecting information as you travel. Use that information to answer each of the questions posed below to find your destination. It is recommended that you do this HITM cache as well as the other Montgomery County cache at the same time.

Nab°cd.efg W0hi°jk.lmn

• Sign(s) 1-From this sign, take the last two digits from the first date and subtract 2. This is ‘hi’.
• Sign(s) 2-From the body of this sign, write down the total numbers. This number is ‘n’.
• Sign(s) 3-Write down the last digit of the year in the body of text. This is ‘c’.
• Sign(s) 4-The convention on this sign took place over 39 days. Write down the beginning date (2 digits). This is’jk’.
• Sign(s) 5-Write down the total amount of numbers from the body of this sign. This is ‘m’.
• Sign(s) 6-Write down the number of Revolutionary soldiers are buried here. This is ‘d’.
• Sign(s) 7-Sir William Johnson built this, his (?) Mohawk Valley House. The ‘?’ is ‘e’.
• Sign(s) 8-This Inn was built on Lot 8, a sub-division of which lot? This is ‘g’.
• Sign(s) 9-A castle was located here. Write down the last two digits of the first date. These digits are ‘ab’.
• Sign(s) 10-How many signs are located here? The answer equals ‘l’.
• Sign(s) 11-There are two signs here. Ignore the one with the arrow. The other one has two occurrences of alphanumeric text. Write down the number that these two share. The answer equals f’.

This will get you the information to where I had initially placed this cache. For a few different reasons, this has become a phantom spot, used only for parking. At cache placement time, there were no caches close to this one. I thought I had ‘dibs’ on this location, but that changed….

So, from the coordinates that you just figured out, please do the following:

• North coordinates: Subtract .249 from the last three digits.
• West coordinates: Subtract .129 from the last three digits.

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 1.1
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

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!!!