Shaker Grove Traditional Cache
Mr. Ollivander: Archiving listing after no response to prior reviewer action.
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Difficulty:
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Size: 
(small)
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A small oasis of tranquility in the heart of Shaker Heights!
This cache is the crown in the jewel of my caches relating to the history of the Shakers in Shaker Heights.
The coordinates will lead you to a property that looks like a private residence, but it isn't! Frank A. Myers, a trustee of the Shaker Historical Society, donated his family's Tudor mansion as a home for the society.
Approach by either parking on the north side of South Park Boulevard and walking up the drive to the cache, or by driving up the driveway (better yet), through the pillars marked by signs for the Shaker Historical Society and Museum, past the building that houses the museum, and parking near the sign that says “Visitor Parking”.
Either approach is fine. As you follow the coordinates you will come to a hidden treasure: a grove of apple trees, planted to commemorate the orchard that actually existed here at the time of the Shakers, more than one hundred and sixty years ago. It is believed that this grove extend to the banks of Horseshoe Lake.
Present in today's orchard are two types of apple trees: Golden Delicious and Rhode Island Greening; the latter is considered an "antique" strain of apples, the type that actually existed here more than 160 years ago.
The SHS is aware of other caches hidden throughout Shaker Heights that have called renewed attention to Shaker history; it’s with this understanding that they have kindly granted permission to hide a cache on this property.
Congratulions to FunkyMonkey ,The O'Hara Cache Crew and TeamDotOne on being the first, second and third to find!
The Shaker Historical Society lists Tuesday through Friday 2:00 - 5:00 PM, Sunday 2:00 - 5:00 PM as it's hours. While I don't think it's necessary to limit your cache search to these times, I would ask you only to trust (and go with) what you feel most comfortable with. Though the property looks private, it's actually owned by the State of Ohio and operated by the Shaker Heights Historical Society; therefore, accessing the property outside of the above hours would not be considered trespassing. This is not just my point of view, but is actually the word from the executive director.
To sum it up, I'll share what one cacher wrote to me: "I drove by the museum mansion yesterday evening after 5:00 PM and before dark and felt like I would be trespassing if I drove back there (and potentially drawing the suspicion of Shaker police." If that's the case, I will go as far as to recommend that you DO park on the grounds in the designated parking area and NOT on the street. The parking are is far enough off the street as not raise the suspicions of even the most well meaning neighbor.
While you're there, if you have some time to spare, check out the museum -- a MUST SEE for anyone interested in local history.
And lastly, I think daylight hours would be best.
Please be respectful of the grounds. But even as important, take some time to pause and take in the beauty of this little grove, that was situated in the heart of what – during their times – the Shakers thought of as The Valley of God’s Pleasure.
*** The cache is a small plastic food container with prizes and a log book. ***
OF SPECIAL NOTE: The first three visitors to this cache are rewarded with a small golden apple charm, purchased at the SHS gift shop.
Special thanks to Sabine Kretzschmar for her assistance in making this possible.
"Stand fast, roots.
Bare well, top.
Pray God send us
A good howling crop!"
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ng onfr bs fznyy gerrf ng rqtr bs jbbqf.