This is a virtual cache in Sweetwater State Park. No physical caches are currently allowed in Georgia State Parks unless you have permission. This cache was placed with permission from Sweetwater Park. This was the first cache in Douglas County, and Sweetwater Park is a very nice area. If you like fishing, the area lake and river are beautiful. A parking fee or an annual Georgia Parks Pass is required. Pets are required to be on a leash at all times.
GGA 2007 Outstanding Virtual Cache
This cache is a tribute to the Roswell Manufacturing Company Cache by CharlieP. His cache is so fun that I thought I would show cachers RMC's twin. There were two large mills supplying the Confederacy in Atlanta. One was the Roswell Manufacturing Company and the other was the New Manchester Manufacturing Company on Sweetwater Creek. In December of 1849 the mill known as the Sweetwater Manufacturing Company began operations. In 1857 the mill was sold to the New Manchester Manufacturing Company. These mills were so important to the Confederacy that they were a huge target. The New Manchester Mill was seized July 2, 1864. The mill in Roswell was burned on July 7th, and New Manchester was burned on July 9th. Large cans of kerosene were carried to each of the five floors of the mill and each floor saturated; the mill was then set fire. The factories and town of Roswell were rebuilt. The town of Sweetwater is but a memory. The New Manchester mill at Factory Shoals was never rebuilt. Only the walls of the mill remain standing today. For over 130 years, vines and trees have been growing inside the ruins that lay open to the sky. A fence has been constructed around the entire mill ruins to protect them.
The coordinates will take you to a plaque near an overlook of the mill. To claim the cache, email the answer to my question using the link above:
Matthew built what there with the aid of Eagle Scout Troop Number WHAT??? Also, describe the plaque location.
For an extra challenge, the falls are a half a mile further down the red trail from the mill ruins. If you go to N33° 44.449' W084° 37.511', tell me how many stairs make up the log steps at that location (HINT: it is between 15 - 25). Sweetwater Falls is a nice wide fall on a wide river.
The Friends of Sweetwater Park Web Site has the best information on the history of the area plus driving and trail maps. You can also go to the State Park Web Site.