A College Birth & A Presidential Romance EarthCache
A cache by BiT Message this owner
Hidden : 5/1/2008
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size: not chosen (not chosen)

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Geocache Description:


This EarthCache location founded a university and helped the 19th U.S. president woo a first lady.


Ohio Wesleyan University’s Sulphur Spring


The Ohio Wesleyan University was founded in 1842. It owes its location to the famous Sulphur Spring located in Delaware, Ohio. This spring had beenwas an early attraction for tourists seeking the beneficial medicinal properties of its “odoriferous” waters. It began drawing visitors in 1833, when Judge Thomas W. Powell and Columbus W. Kent purchased the property and build built a resort hotel on the site called the Mansion House. The Mansion Househotel had a only short- lived prosperity and in the summer of 1841, Judge Powell, the thennow the sole proprietor, decided to abandon the business enterprise and sell the property went up for sale.

The Rev. Adam Poe, a Methodist pastor in Delaware, and his congregation suggested that local residents buy the property and offer it to the Ohio and the North Ohio conferences, jointly, as a potential site for a Methodist college. The existing social, political, and economic climate of Methodism in Ohio made the timing especially opportune. As early as 1821, the Ohio Conference, in connection with the Kentucky Conference, had established the first Methodist college in Augusta, Kentucky. Augusta College, however, was located in an almost inaccessible village in Kentucky. Additionally Kentucky’s views on slavery didn’t sit well with the growing anti-slavery sentiments of the people in Ohio. Augusta College, suffering from a lack of patronage and financial contributions, existed for only 20 years. The failure of Augusta College to meet the needs of Ohio Methodism left this largest Protestant denomination in Ohio without a denominational school of higher education. The Rev. Poe and the Methodist Church took the opportunity and paid $10,000 for the 10 acres of ground in Delaware that include the spring and the Mansion House. The hotel has been renovated and relocated on the Ohio Wesleyan campus and, today, is known as Elliott Hall.

Additionally, the Sulphur Spring also marks the spot where Rutherford B. Hayes, Delaware native and 19th president of the United States, is said to have wooed and won Lucy Webb, one of Ohio Wesleyan’s first coeds and the person for whom the university’s Hayes Hall is named.

Rutherford B. and Lucy Webb Hayes


As an added bonus, you can visit the Memorial Cairn from the Ohio Wesleyan Class of 1876, located only 345 feet from the Sulphur Spring at N40° 17.812 W 083° 03.985. The Cairn is constructed of Ohio Shale Concretions (visit the Earth’s Pearls EarthCache to learn more about Ohio Shale Concretions).

What is a natural spring?


A natural spring is a location on the surface of the Earth where groundwater flows outwards. In other terms it is where the aquifer surface meets the ground surface. A spring can be ephemeral (intermittent) if the water supply is inconstant or it can be perennial (continuous) when the water source is unlimited.

The odoriferous nature of the Sulphur Spring is a result of the high percentage of hydrogen sulfide. Hydrogen sulfide is formed by sulfur bacteria that may occur naturally in water. These bacteria use the sulfur in decaying plants, rocks, or soil as their food or energy source and as a by-product produce hydrogen sulfide. The sulfur bacteria do not cause disease, but their presence in water can cause a bad taste or odor. Other minerals in the spring include iron carbonate, calcium sulfate, magnesium chloride, and magnesium sulfate.

Springs are often classified by their discharge or volume of flow. The largest springs are called Magnitude 1 and are defined as springs that discharge water at a rate of at least 100 cubic feet per second (cfs) or more. Below is the spring classification table:




To claim a find, please email me the answers to the questions below. Also you will need to upload a picture of yourself holding your GPSr while at the Sulphur Spring with your find log. Logs that do not follow the finding requirements will be deleted.

Question 1: Estimate the present discharge or volume of flow of the spring.

Question 2: Is it a hot water spring or a cold water spring?

Question 3: In your opinion, is the spring odoriferous?

Question 4: How many Ohio Shale Concretions are imbedded in the Memorial Cairn from the Class of 1876??




Developed by A Platinum EarthCache Master

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