If you enjoy going to auctions, flea markets and antique shops, you have probably come across old Minard’s Liniment bottles. What you might not be aware of is the special place in history that Dr. Minard held in Hants County, Nova Scotia. At an early age, Levi Minard displayed a strong interest in medicine and helping the ill. He experimented in mixing up various ointments and liniments and studied medicine in his spare time. At the age of 52, he received a degree from the Eclectic Medical College in Cincinnati, Ohio. Dr. Minard lived and practiced medicine in the Burlington/Summerville area before moving to Brooklyn, Hants County. Throughout this time he manufactured his formula, known as “Minard’s Liniment”. The shed where he manufactured his liniment was originally a black smith shop in the centre of Brooklyn before it was moved to its present location by a previous owner of the house. Dr. Minard’s second wife, Mary, had a brother, W. J. Nelson, who helped Levi manufacture his liniment, and later bought the rights to the secret formula. Shortly after that, Mr. Nelson moved the manufacturing plant to Bridgewater after which he sold the formula rights in 1886 to C.C. Richards and Co. of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. They in turn sold their rights in 1905 to a company that called themselves “Minard’s Liniment and Co. Ltd.” In the upstairs part of the house that he lived in, he operated a hospital. A subsequent owner of the house tells of several encounters with the spirit of Dr. Minard on occasions where a member of the family or a family pet was ill. It appeared that Dr. Minard was still very interested in healing the sick, even after he himself had passed on.
You can still purchase a bottle of Minard’s liniment today. According to Health Canada’s Drug Product Database http://cpe0013211b4c6d-cm0014e88ee7a4.cpe.net.cable.rogers.com/dpdonline/displayInfo.do?drugCode=Eqgk1EtA96w%3D , the active ingredients in Minard’s liniment consist of 2.3% ammonium hydroxide, 5.45% camphor, 10.5% turpentine!
The original coordinates took you to the location of the old home of Dr. Minard at its present location. The house was originally at the front of the lot near the road, before it was moved back, in order to make room for a larger parking lot where a store was erected.
The store no longer exits and is now a PRIVATE residence so please do not park in their yard.
In Dr. Minard’s time, the store did not exist, but you could still see the old shed where he manufactured his liniment after the store was built. This shed was originally located behind the house, but after the house was moved back, the shed could be found between the store and the house.
In order to find the cache, you must make note of the civic address of Dr. Minard’s old home (1032).
To obtain the new coordinates for the cache calculate the following
A = fourth number in civic address of Dr. Minards Home
B = add all numbers in civic address of Dr. Minards Home
C = subtract first number in civic address of Dr. Minards Home from B above
Subtract ABC from the posted northing coordinates. Checksum for N is 18.
X = At posted coordinates find the number of letters in the second town name
Y = Last number on the first brown sign
Z = Last number on the first brown sign
Add XYZ to the posted westing coordinates. Checksum for W is 23.
The cache is now a micro but was originally a cammoed 1 kg. peanut butter jar with a log book and pencils, various swag items, and a FTF prize consisting of an antique Minard’s liniment bottle and a $2 Tim’s certificate.
References include “Brooklyn in Retrospect” by Edith McGray and Rev. George McGray, and “Freemans of Nova Scotia” which was quoted from on genealogy.com. A big thank you goes to Marguerite Walsh and Debbie Kellner for sharing their knowledge of local history, and Tracey Atwell, the owner of Reid’s Meats Cloverfarm Supermarket, for permission to place this cache. To learn more about Dr. Minard, be sure to visit "The Spirit of Dr. Minard - Part 2" (GC10JJX).