Uptown Saint John Walking Tour #1 Mystery Cache

This walking tour will take you through a part of Trinity Royal, Saint John's Heritage Preservation Area, and beyond. The Trinity Royal Preservation Area is a 20-block area in uptown Saint John. Trinity Royal celebrates the history, architecture, culture, and business life of our city. It gets it's name from the soaring steeple of Trinity Royal Church, topped by its distinctive weathervane in the shape of a fish, which can be seen silhouetted against the sky. The streets, whether broad and tree-lined or narrow and sloping down to the harbour, still retain the Royal Family names lavished upon them over 200 years ago by the Loyalist settlers.

The city of Saint John designated Trinity Royal a Heritage Preservation Area in 1982 and continues to nurture the growth and preservation of the unique character of our wonderfully historic city.

The clues to find the coordinates are not particularly difficult, there are no tricks to the clues. Just follow the directions and enjoy learning a bit about the city's history and exploring the uptown Saint John area. Figure on about a two hour excursion, although it could take much longer depending on how long you decide to take to explore each of the areas. The listed coordinates are the starting point for your search. This cache MUST be done during daylight hours, you will not be able to complete the hunt after dark!! Enjoy!

St. Patrick’s Square - N45°16.029 W66° 03.625
Our tour begins at the location which is the source of the light that once helped guide mariners safely into Saint John harbour. Originally, a single oil lamp was erected in this location in 1842. The Trinity Lamp - or "Three Sisters" - has been lighting the way since 1848. It was placed in direct line with the steeple of Trinity Church so that harbour pilots and sea captains were able to navigate their way safely into the harbour at night.

Saint Patrick's Square also contains a small scale replica of the Celtic Cross on Partridge Island. Between 1845 and 1847, some 30,000 Irish immigrants, fleeing the Great Irish Potato Famine, arrived in Saint John. At that time Partridge Island was used as an immigration and quarantine station. In 1927, the Celtic Cross was erected to commemorate the 2000 Irish immigrants who perished of typhus fever en route to New Brunswick or on the island after arriving.

Read the "Shedding Light on the Three Sisters Mystery" story.

Read the dedication plaque.

A1=the total number of panes of glass on all 3 lamps
A2=the number of letters of the profession of B.Cosman
A3=the first number that is fully spelled out (i.e. not written with digits) *after* the word "Perseus" in the 3 sisters story.
A4=the second digit of the height of the lamp

A=(A1-A2-A3)/A4

Saint John High School - N45°16.162 W66° 03.669
Make your way down Prince William Street to Saint John High School. SJHS has been educating students for over 200 years, and distinguished alumni include Walter Pidgeon, Louis B. Mayer (of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer fame) and quite possibly even Robert T. Mawhinney...inventor of the dump truck!

Look way up to the top of the building above the main entrance.

B=Add together the last two digits of this date.

Bank of New Brunswick - N45°16.258 W66°03.704
Continue down Prince William Street, crossing to the other side at your earliest convenience. The original Bank of New Brunswick was lost to the Great Saint John fire of 1877. This fire devastated the city, destroying over 200 acres of the city and 1612 structures including eight churches, six banks, fourteen hotels, eleven schooners, four woodboats, nearly all the public buildings, retail establishments, lawyers' offices and printing firms in just over a nine hour period. The bank was reconstructed to look like the original. In 1913, unable to remain competitive, the bank merged with the younger Bank of Nova Scotia, which it had mentored into prosperity (Ironic, isn't it?).

C1=The main door between the two pillars has what look like simple rosettes carved out of stone. Count the number found in the door frame.
C2=2

C=C1-C2

Old City Hall - N45° 16.269 W66°03.706
Almost directly across the street, on the corner, is old Old City Hall. Like many buildings in this area, it also was reconstructed after the fire. Notice the doors in the center of the building on the 2nd story from which the mayor of the day could stand and watch the streets below.

Look up to the center window on the top floor. Note the shield-like design above the window.

D=The number of crosses in the shield

Barbour's General Store - N45°16.361 W66°03.758
Continue down to the end of Prince William Street, walking on the Bank of New Brunswick side of the street until you reach Barbour's General Store (left). Erected in 1867, this red and cream colored nineteenth-century country general store was restored by the G.E. Barbour Company in 1967 to commemorate the centennial year of Canada. Originally located at Sheffield, New Brunswick, 60 miles up the St. John River, it was floated down the river by barge in two pieces and set up on King Street East in 1967. Since then it has been located at a number of different sites, finally being set up permanently where we see it today.

Now a museum, on display is a wide range of merchandise typical of the times. Over 2,000 artifacts are found within the store including china, farm tools and kitchen utensils. A combination barbershop dental office is located at the back of the store just as it would have been in the early days.

E1=The year of the newspaper held by the wood carving of a man.
E2=The number of attendees at the St. Andrews Society picnic of 1866.
E3=E2-E1
E4=Sum (add together) the individual digits of E3
E5=The first digit shown in the numbered address in the background of the Saint Andrew's House group photo.
E=E4-E5

1 Chipman Hill - N45° 16.453 W66°03.762
Make your way past city hall and straight up Chipman Hill. When you reach the top, you will need to stop and get your breath back at Number 1, on the corner of Union Street. This building is a survivor of the Great Saint John Fire. The owner of these properties at the time of the fire was James Moran, a successful merchant and ship owner. He saved this property from the fire by having his shipping crew douse the house with water to protect it.

F1=Count the letters of the missing word: "Remarkable for the range of __".
F2=The number of letters of the word that immediately follows "Combining Classical"

F=F1-F2

Loyalist House - N45° 16.474 W66°03.675
Walk east down Union Street to the corner of the next block and you will find Loyalist House. Also one of the few surviving buildings of the Great Fire of 1877, the "House on the Hill" was first owned by the Merritt family in 1759. Acquired by the New Brunswick Historical Society in 1959, this house is now a museum where you can explore the breath-taking beauty preserving the excellence of the early craftsmen of Saint John (Admission fees apply if you choose to go inside: $2.00 for children & students; $5.00 for Adults; $7.00 for families).

G1=The first year you read in the large "Loyalist House" plaque
G2=The year the plaque was made.
G3=G2-G1
G4=the number of lines carved into the arch above the transom (i.e. the number of straight lines in the arch above the window over the door).
G5=G3-G4
G6=The sum of the individual numbers of G5
G7=The number of letters of the word preceding "gracious" on the plaque.

G=G6+G7

Old City Market - N45° 16.446 W66°03.541
Walk down Germain Street to The Old City Market. If open, take a leisurely stroll through to the opposite end. If not, use N Market St. or S Market St. The Old City Market first opened in 1876. Also surviving the Great Fire of 1877 (only a year after it opened), it is still in use today and is the oldest continuing farmer's market in Canada. The Market boasts seafood, produce, baked goods, butcher shops, arts and crafts, restaurants and more. A full city block long, the Market runs downhill from the "head of the Market" on Charlotte Street, gently sloping to the Germain Street entrance; a full 20 feet below. At both entrances hang the same gates that have swung closed at the end of each business day since 1880. Crafted from heavy wrought-iron, their graceful design is a tribute to the skill and artistry of the local blacksmith who created them.

Each of the iron gates on the Charlotte Street end of the market have crafted into them a number of large "X"'s along the very bottom.
H1=The number of "X"'s in the "bottom row" of the right hand gate
H2=The number of "X"'s found in the bottom row of the left hand gate.
H3=H1+H2
H4=The number of words in the first line of the english paragraph on the plaque. Note: do not count the name/title of the plaque as the first paragraph ;o)

H=H3-H4

King's Square - N45° 16.407 W66°03.513
Make your way down to the corner of King Street and cross the street to King's Square. The most prominent of Saint John's public squares, King's Square is the symbolic heart of the city and deeply rooted in history. When observed from above, one can clearly see that the design is that of the Union Jack. It is designed to express the loyalty of the city founders to England. Monuments and structures establish a powerful civic presence while a rich landscape of mature trees, lawns and flower beds provide refreshment and relief. Structures include the King Edward VII Memorial bandstand: a two-storey bandstand constructed in 1908 and later restored in 1987. Also in the park are the 1910 Tilley Monument, the 1925 War Memorial, The 1934 Loyalist Cross, the 1962 Gorman Monument, and the 1986 Bell Monument commemorating all Saint John Fire Fighters who have died in the line of duty.

The Tilley monument commemorates one of the Fathers of Confederation, Sir Samuel Leonard Tilley.
I1=The number of acorns engraved on the plaque
I2=The number of times the number '8' appears on the plaque.
I3=The day in May displayed on the plaque

I=I1-I2-I3

Loyalist Burial Grounds - N45°16.469 W66°03.400
Continue to the northeast corner of the square and cross Sydney Street into the Loyalist Burial Grounds. Saint John's original burial ground was established on this site shortly after the landing of the United Empire Loyalists in 1783. After its closure as a cemetery in 1848 the site became a memorial garden with tree lined walkways and flower beds. In 1785 a coat of arms was chosen for the new City of Saint John. One of the symbols chosen for the newly created crest was the beaver. The Canadian Beaver, a prominent motif found throughout the site, depicts the hard work, enterprise and tenacious resolve of the city's founders and those who followed. The beaver has come to symbolize the spirit of hard work and innovation and has been used as a recurring theme in the renovated Old Burial Ground. The fountain centerpiece features bronze beavers building their lodge. The wall of the fountain is made of dark granite from Quebec. The wall surrounding the fountain is granite quarried at Hampstead and cut in Sussex.

J1=The number of beavers on the fountain's centerpiece
J2=The number of beavers pictured on the large plaque set in stone.
J3=J1+J2
J4=The number of black granite "slabs" used as the capping pieces of the circular wall of the fountain (see "Picture 1").
J5=J4-J3
J6=the number of words in the second-last english paragraph on the plaque

J=J5-J6-1

Imperial Theatre - N45° 16.383 W66°03.467
Make your way back to the bandstand at King's Square and go south, crossing King Square S. The Imperial Theatre was designed by Albert E. Westover, who was a leading architect from Philadelphia. Billed as the ‘Finest Theatre in Eastern Canada’, Imperial Theatre was tooled with the best amenities available from its water piping to its theatrical equipment. The structure was built and financed by the Keith-Albee Chain of vaudeville houses and was erected upon the site of the Lyceum Theatre that was destroyed during the Great Fire of Saint John in 1877. It opened on September 19, 1913 and over the years featured such great entertainers as John Sousa, Ethel Barrymore, Harry Houdini, and Gracie Fields.

The plaque contains a number of different dates and years.
K1 = the sum of the digits of the second occurrence of a year on the plaque.
K2 = the Sum of the digits of the sixth occurrence of a year on the plaque.
K3 = the number of letters of the architect's last name
K4 = The number of circles carved from the stone between the second and third story windows located above the main doors.

K= K4-(K1+K2+K3)

Corner of King and Canterbury - N45° 16.395 W66° 03.672
Make your way down King Street to the the offices of prominent local legal firm Gilbert McGloan Gillis. You are now standing at the Corner of King and Canterbury streets - former site of the home of one of the United States most infamous sons: Benedict Arnold. Moving to Saint John in 1783, General Arnold ran a prosperous merchant trading business until it was destroyed by fire in 1788. As you can imagine, Benedict Arnold was not a popular man in the city. The hostility towards him culminated in a group of citizens assembling in front of Arnold's home and burning him in effigy. The disturbance was so intense that British troops were called from Fort Howe and the Magistrate was required to read the Riot Act. The troops showed little enthusiasm in their task of defending Arnold. He was soon forced out of the city and returned to England after living here for only six years.

L1= the number of lions in the shield of the Coat of Arms sculpture above the doorway
L2= The number of big flat rectangular stone blocks making up any of the vertical columns of stone on the *first* floor. Do not include in your count any top or bottom stones with a cornice; only the big flat featureless ones making up the "column" itself.

L=L1+1-L2

Church of St. Andrew and St. David - N45° 16.241 W66° 03.584
Walk back up King Street and turn right onto Germain Street. Continue several blocks, crossing the street as convenient. Constructed in 1878, this church is a faithful (pun intended) representation of the gothic revival style. The windows on the Church are a combination of the two churches when they joined together to become one. The windows on the Church of Saint Andrew were taken out to be reinstalled in Saint David and are on display at the back of the church while the ones on the facade are the originals.

This is your second last stop! The final number to find before searching for your prize!

M=The second digit of the day mentioned on the smaller of the two plaques (the lower plaque).

Calculate the final coordinates as follows:

AB°C.DEF

0GH°IJ.KLM