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.
Destination of this trip is located at:
?
Nab°cd.efg W0hi°jk.mpr
- Sign(s) 1-Write down the digit that is repeated on this sign. This is ‘d’.
- Sign(s) 2-This house was known as “Yankee Pete Tavern” in which year? Write down the last digit in the year. That digit is ‘b’.
- Sign(s) 3-From the title of this sign, count the number of letters in the third word. This number is ‘c’.
- Sign(s) 4-Count the number of numbers in the body of this sign. That number is ‘r’.
- Sign(s) 5- How many ‘7’s appear in the body of this sign? This number is “a’.
- Sign(s) 6-This sign was erected in 19*2. The missing number is ” j’.
- Sign(s) 7-Find the year that this object was built. Add the first and last digits of that year together. This is ‘g’.
- Sign(s) 8-Find the two numbers that are written out on this sign. Add them together to find ‘h’.
- Sign(s) 9-There are two signs by this waypoint. Add all the numbers that re written out in text form to find ‘f’.
- Sign(s) 10-Find the first word of the title of this sign. Count the number of letters that make up this word. This is ‘e’.
- Sign(s) 11-This sign is a site of an object. Count the letters in the first word of this object. This is ‘m’.
- Sign(s) 12-Write down the year Henry Moeller became the first resident minister. See sign 14 to finish this computation.
- Sign(s) 13-Both of the signs found near this location have three words for their titles. Count how many letters in each of the sign’s titles. Subtract the smaller number from the larger number. The result is ‘p’.
- Sign(s) 14-Write down the year this mansion was built. Subtract this from the number you wrote down from sign 12. This is ‘i’.
- Sign(s) 15-Locate the year the name change occurred. One digit is repeated. This is ‘k’.
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Replace all the letters with the numbers that you obtained from the driving portion of this cache. This waypoint will be the beginning point of the walking tour portion of this cache. After finding a parking spot, locate a sign for a walking tour down the Main Street of this town. Note that there is a map of the locations that you will need to go to on this (and all subsequent) signs. I will reference each of the signs by the title or prominent topic depicted early on in the sign. Collect this information to find the final location of this cache.
Walking Tour portion:
Note: If a date says, “Built Circa 2006” and you are asked to write down the date it was built, then that number (2006) is the one to write down.
Use the table below to help you figure out which sign is which.
| (1) Rockville |
(6) Village/Klinkhart Hall |
(11) Roseboro Hotel |
(16) Imperial Baths |
| (2) Lehman Building |
(7) American Hotel |
(12) Union Hotel |
(17) 1926 Fire |
| (3) Rockville Quarry |
(8) Mansion House |
(13) Eldredge/Lincoln Hotel |
(18) White Sulphur Spring |
| (4) Klinkhart Homestead |
(9) Chalybeate Temple |
(14) Sharon House/Park Hotel |
(19) Magnesia Temple |
| (5) Liberty Hotel |
(10) Samson Block |
(15) Casino |
(20) Handy's Garage/Adler Hotel |
- Sign 1-Write down when the road mentioned was laid out as well as when it was constructed.
- Sign 10-Write down when the Sampson building was constructed as well as the date that the house adjacent to it was bought by a partnership and renovated.
- Sign 11-Write down the date that Edwin built his house and when it was sold to Joe and Anna.
- Sign 12-Write down when this building was built as well as the year of the favorite local story.
- Sign 13-Write down the year this building was built and the year of a musicologist’s experience.
- Sign 14-Write down the year this building was built as well as when a fire consumed it and a dozen more buildings.
- Sign 15-This building had 60 guest rooms, a bowling alley and a saloon. Write down the year is was built.
- Sign 16-Write down when this building was built as well as when it was destroyed.
- Sign 17-Write down from the “Above:” photo the circa date as well as the date from the “Top Left Photo:” which is a date when that building was built.
Add ALL the numbers that you wrote down together. Subtract the title of an infamous book by George Orwell and then divide this number by 83. The result is the number that you will SUBTRACT from the NORTH (walking IP you figured out) coordinates (after the decimal point).
- Sign 18-Write down when Dave established the first commercial use of this area.
- Sign 19-This building was built in a Renaissance Revival style in which year? Write that year down.
- Sign 2-Write down the year in which violins were in a Wurlitzer exhibition. This sign is currently being worked on so here is a link of a photo of it: Lehman Block
- Sign 20-This hotel was built in which year?
- Sign 3-This business was in operation as early as which year?
- Sign 4-This series of homes was built between which year and 1923?
- Sign 5-In which year was “…this elegant Colonial Revival…” home built?
- Sign 6-George lost his entire stock and business in which year?
- Sign 7-Which year was this building built?
- Sign 9-The Anthony House was build in which year?
- Sign 8-This building was built in which year?
Add all the years that you wrote down together. From this number, subtract the number of signs that you collected information (just for this portion/half of the walk) from to obtain a new total. Divide this total by 95. Add this total to the WEST (walking IP you figured out) coordinates (after the decimal point).
If you wrote down all the correct numbers and did your math correctly, you will have the coordinates where a decon container is hidden. Go there to sign the log, collect one-half of the Schoharie County Final coordinates, and trade small items.
Thank you for taking this driving and walking tour. I really hope you enjoyed your trip as much as I did making it for you!
Part a:
- History in the Marking Part 1: Albany County 1.0
- History in the Marking Part 1: Albany County 1.1
- History in the Marking Part 1: Columbia County 1.0
- History in the Marking Part 1: Columbia County 1.1
- History in the Marking Part 1: Montgomery County 1.0
- History in the Marking Part 1: Montgomery County 1.1
- History in the Marking Part 1: Rensselaer County 1.0
- History in the Marking Part 1: Rensselaer County 1.1
- History in the Marking Part 1: Saratoga County 1.0
- History in the Marking Part 1: Saratoga County 1.1
- History in the Marking Part 1: Schenectady County 1.0
- History in the Marking Part 1: Schenectady County 1.1
- History in the Marking Part 1: Schoharie County 1.1
Part b:
- History in the Marking Part 1: Albany Final
- History in the Marking Part 1: Columbia Final
- History in the Marking Part 1: Montgomery Final
- History in the Marking Part 1: Rensselaer Final
- History in the Marking Part 1: Saratoga Final
- History in the Marking Part 1: Schenectady Final
- History in the Marking Part 1: Schoharie Final
Final Final
- History in the Marking: Final Final
Please do not be intimidated by seeing this as a “22 part monster cache” as not all parts have to be done. Do one, three, seven, 14, 21, or all 22. The choice is yours!
Thanks to Stargeezer (Mr. and Mrs.) for being the guinea pig on this one!
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!!!