"Ohio Spirit Quest"
The Ohio Spirit Quest series of geocaches will take you to a number of historic cemeteries built by Buckeye Pioneers. This series is inspired by and a continuation of the Indiana Spirit Quest caches created by Six Dog Team. In just over three years, the SPIRIT QUEST has grown to over 550 caches, with the hiding teams growing as well. The Ohio Spirit Quest has grown to over 30 current hides in Ohio, with five current caching teams, three each with A Man and His Dog, one with a Couple & their Dog... and one with A Woman and her Dog. Over 1,000 cachers have logged over 20,000 finds. One cache machine found 111 ISQ caches in a single day (daylight hours only).
Come with us now for a virtual tour of this old burial ground via this page, then go out and find the cache!
Kunkle Cemetery
Welcome to Madison Township, Williams County
OHIO SPIRIT QUEST #31
"Kunkle, not Podunk"
After 1843, the settlement of Madison Township was quite rapid. The vicinities of Kunkle's Corners and Pioneer were the oldest, but, by 1845, there was scarcely a section that did not have one or more log cabins thereon. Each was surrounded by a small clearing, that slowly widened with each year. A rail fence protected the sides of the cabins (not always, however) from the too friendly approaches of the domestic animals. The winding paths were cut wider and worked, bridges were built, timber disappeared, better habitations were erected, money became plentier, markets were nearer and better, comfort took the place of privation, and school houses and churches began to mark the cross-roads.
In about the year 1855, Augustus Moore opened a small store at the Kunkle Corners, the stock consisting largely of groceries, being worth about $300. A fair trade was obtained, but after continuing some three years, the stock was closed out and the building sold to Levi Hendricks, who sold goods for a short time. Since then, the merchants have been Weaver, Widner, Hendricks, Greek, Kunkle, Wallace, Stambaugh, and perhaps one or two others. Mr. Kunkle, in whose honor the corners were named, sold goods for many years from a stock, the average worth of which was about $2,500. Phillip Widner and William Stambaugh are in business at present. John Shock and Jacob Neisley erected a steam saw-mill at the village but after a short time Mr. Shock died, and his interest went to his son, John Shock, Jr., who, with Mr. Neisley, is yet operating the mill. A shingle saw has been placed in the building. The mill realizes sufficient business to keep it running about half the year. Alfred Hendricks and Oliver Coy are at present operating a planing mill, the same having been started in 1882. William Whitley was probably the first blacksmith, coming in some thirteen years ago. Three carpenters are now residents of the village. A restaurant was conducted for, a short time during the winter of 1881-82.
Kunkle's Corners has never been properly laid out and recorded, but its pretensions are as great as those of many villages have been.
A number of years ago, a drunken fellow in the neighborhood, while under the influence of " 0 be joyful," applied the derisive title of " Podunk" to the village. Of course the villagers do not recognize the authenticity of the appellation. Some sixteen or eighteen years ago, Greek, Hendricks and Warner owned and operated a saw-mill in the southern part of the township, continuing the same probably eight or ten years, and doing good work.
The Wabash Railway, which extends through " Podunk," is at present negotiating with the citizens for the necessary grounds and funds for a station. The citizens have offered $2,000 for the station, but the railroad magnates are willing to take $1,200 if the residents will give the grounds and grade the track for a specified distance at the village. An arrangement will be effected in the near future. Some ten years ago, the citizens expended much time and money in assisting to grade the Coldwater Railway, hoping that they might have a station, but they were disappointed. And never received one.
The cache container is camo'd Pill bottle. If you find a fallen US flag, please stick it back in the ground. As always, please be respectful, and cache in, trash out.
Placed by a member of:
"Ohio Spirit Quest" is brought to you by the following fellows of GEOOSQ*: The SixDogTeam, THE SHADOW, The Moop Along, -Eleanor-, TeamMina. If you are interested in spreading the Quest to your neck of the woods AND WOULD LIKE TO JOIN US, email The Moop Along with caching resume and at least 25 current notarized references.
*Grand Exalted Order of the Ohio Spirit Quest*
