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
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.
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.
For this, the History in the Marking Part 1: Albany County 1.0, you will have to be observant to a few aspects of the many signs that make up this information gathering adventure. Emblems and information other than what is normally asked for needs attention paid to it, as well as the “regular” information that I have asked for from signs in the other H.I.T.M. caches.
Destination of this trip is located at:
N4a°bc.def W0gh°ij.klm
This sign marks a small park sandwiched between Washington Avenue and State Street. It starts this HITM cache up a bit from where you have to go. To get to the meat and potatoes of this cache, you will need to subtract .311 from the NORTH coordinates and .687 from the WEST coordinates. This will take you to….
This first portion of information gathering consists of eight signs. The border for your search are the following roads:
- State Street
- Eagle Street
- North Hawk
- Elk Street
The border includes the roads that are listed, as a couple/few of the signs are on some of these roads. Look at the directions below to find out what information is needed. A digital camera may help with the information gathering!
Treat the information gathering for this cache as two seperate portions. The 'downtown' portion's questions only pertain to the first clump of signs. After the line break; the questions pertain only to the signs listed below that break.
- Sign 1-This is “The King’s Highway” sign. Find it and write down the number that is written out in text on this sign. This is ‘d’ .
- Sign 2-No specific information.
- Sign 3-No specific information.
- Sign 4-There is a sign that is a site for governors. Find the one that was here 1830-2. Count how many letters in his first name. This is ‘c’.
- Sign 5-No specific information
- Sign 6-No specific information.
- Sign 7-Look for the sign with an arrow and information about Schuyler. Convert the fraction to decimal form. The first digit after the period is 'e'.
- Sign 8-No specific information.
- ’a’=total number of “Albany 300” signs.
- ’b’=total number of signs which have a NY state picture.
The following signs have their own reference points and questions below this point only pertain to the following signs:
One Final Note about Hunting Season
Area west of State Rt. 155 and north of NYS Thruway Hunting - Please use non-toxic shot. Small game - Oct. 14 to Oct. 15 - open only to Youth Archers (see below) All other times - open consistent with DEC regulations & Pine Bush regulations. Deer - Oct. 14 to Oct. 15 - Special Youth Hunting Area - this area open only to youth archers ages 14-17 accompanied by adult. Special rules apply. Contact the Commission for details. Oct 16 thru Dec. 19 - open to archery hunting consistent with DEC & Pine Bush regulations Trapping- open to registered trappers Fishing - open, but few fishing opportunities exist in this area
Please remember this when looking for this cache.
Disclaimer: You, and all members of your party must read and agree to the www.geocaching.com disclaimer. In addition, you all must agree to hold the cache owner, www.geocaching.com, and the landowners harmless from any and all causes for action. You and all other members of your party must individually and collectively determine your/their physical fitness and outdoors/hiking skill levels, decide whether or not to visit the various cache locations, and whether or not it is safe and prudent to do so under the conditions that will be encountered. Cache seekers assume all risks involved in seeking these cache locations.
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!!!