VSP Sky Meadows 75th Anniversary Adventure Traditional Geocache

This cache has been archived.

Virginia State Parks: Virginia State Parks 75th Anniversary Geocaching Adventure series ended on December 15, 2011. Look for the upcoming series, Virginia State Parks Blooming Adventure in March 2012.

More
Hidden : 2/14/2011
Difficulty:
1 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size: regular (regular)

Join now to view geocache location details. It's free!

Watch

How Geocaching Works
Looking for a different adventure?

Related Web Page

Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions in our disclaimer.

Geocache Description:


This cache is located in the park’s Historic Area. From the parking coordinates, enjoy a leisurely walk among the historic buildings as you search for the cache. There is no defined trail in this area. The terrain and overall difficulty are easy. You will not have to climb any fences to find the cache. Please remember that the park does have a cattle grazing on premises for a good portion of the year. Please watch your step!

Settlement of the area can be attributed to nearby Ashby's Gap, which gave settlers access to the Shenandoah Valley.

In 1731, Lord Fairfax sold a 7,883-acre tract of land just south of Ashby’s Gap to James Ball. Ball died in 1754, and his land was divided among his daughter and five grandsons. One grandson sold his land to John Edmonds in 1780. Edmonds died eight years later and his land was divided among his five children. Isaac Settle of nearby Paris bought land from two of those children and in 1812 built a large brick house called “Belle Grove.” In 1842, he sold Belle Grove farm to his son in-law, Lewis Edmonds, who shortly thereafter sold 148 acres to Settle’s son, Abner, who built Mount Bleak House.

Mount Bleak in 1868 became the property of George M. Slater, who had been in Mosby’s Rangers during the Civil War. Slater and his son lived there for 55 years.

The property changed owners several times in the 1900s. In 1975, Paul Mellon of Upperville, VA., donated a 1,132-acre tract to the Commonwealth for the development of a state park. Another 248 acres were acquired in 1987, thus providing a corridor to the Appalachian Trail. In 1991, Mr. Mellon donated another 248 acres, designated the Lost Mountain Bridle Trail Area.

This cache is a regular sized lock-n-lock plastic container. Inside, you will find a laminated photograph. All but one of the individuals in the photograph are identified in the photo caption. Using the information on the back of the photo, unscramble the underlined letters to find the name of the unidentified individual. The answer to the puzzle will be posted on the bulletin board at the Visitor’s Center. The box will also contain a log book, pencil, and a collector’s card. 
This cache is part of the Virginia State Parks 75th Anniversary Geocaching Adventure. Each state park has a cache for this series, each with a unique collector’s card. There are small prizes for finding 5, 10, 20, and ALL of the caches. Most parks require a small parking fee while geocaching. For more information go to: www.virginiaoutdoors.com.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Uvf sngure (fnzr anzr) ohvyg Zbhag Oyrnx Ubhfr.

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


Advertising with Us

Inventory

There are no Trackables in this cache.

View past Trackables

What are Trackable Items?

Bookmark Lists

View all bookmark lists...