NCR Trail – Hammer Time Traditional Cache
loomers: This one is definitely gone. Too bad. It was an old hammer which I hollowed out the handle for the log. The growth and pickles are out of control in this area or I would replace it.
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Welcome to Pleasant Valley, Maryland or at least what once the railroad stop for a town that no longer exists. My family and I moved to this area over the summer and have thoroughly enjoyed our time on the NCR Trail. It is perfect for a bike ride or walk and rich in history. This particular section was once a mining village and is located north of Monkton. The museum in the station is open Wednesday through Saturday and I highly encourage you to plan a brief visit to examine this little collection of memorabilia.
The cache is located in what I believe to be the foundation of the ‘Rat Trap’ tavern mentioned in the marker. It is about 15-20 yards off of the NCR trial. Thorns were a slight problem. This cache in about 12 inches in length and is a tribute to the history of this area. It is definitely NOT a standard Rubbermaid-shaped cache. BRING OWN WRITING UTENSIL!
PLEASE NOTE – Remain on the trial until almost on top of the cache. I recommend to carefully use the brick ‘stairway’ to descend to the site. The cache is SOMEWHERE IN THE WALL of the old stone foundation which is a change from the original location.
The information below is located on the historical marker near the cache and provides a summary of the history and mining capacity of this area.
Pleasant Valley, roughly half a mile north of Monkton, was a 19th Century railroad settlement, built around mining operations.
The settlement is mentioned by name is Civil Was records of 1864. It is shown in the 1877 Hopkins Atlas, which indicates buildings, a bridge over Gunpowder Falls, and a road leading west to Hereford.
The village was established to mine iron ore and soapstone. The iron ore deposits, like others along the railroad at such points as Glencoe, Padonia, and Lutherville, were worked in the early 1860s because of the proximity to the Ashland Iron Furnace. By 1864 this furnace had changed over to anthracite fuel because of the easy access to coal transported by the Northern Central Railroad and could produce more pig iron, requiring new sources of ore. Pleasant Valley soapstone was used in minor quantities by the mills, foundries, and other industries along the railroad.
By the late 1870’s Pleasant Valley had become a compact village containing a railroad station, small houses, a tavern, and a hotel known as the “Rat Trap”.
The William H. Barnhart family were residents of Pleasant Valley from 1883 until 1901, with nine children in a small stone house, the remains of which can still be see today next to the NCR Trail. Mr. Barnhart, a trackwalker or trackman for the Northern Central Railroad, was responsible for keeping the railroad tracks clear, safe, and operational from Pleasant Valley, MD to Parkton, MD.
The town was dropped from the train schedules in the 1890s and declined rapidly; by then early 1900’s Pleasant Valley, the bridge, and Hereford road had disappeared from official maps. The iron ore and soapstone veins had depleted, and their markets also disappeared. The site remained derelict for many years. At one time during the 1930’s and 1940’s the railroad used the old miller’s house, and the “Rat Trap” became a meeting place for unemployed workman during the Depression.
Today Pleasant Valley exists only as a few crumbling remains which can be seen from the NCR Trail. The foundation of the “Rat Trap” Hotel, along with a few iron headboards, other stone foundations, bridge abutments and a spring head are all that remain.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
gevny fvqr bs fgehpgher, va n pbeare
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