The
printed MML Passport is no longer available. However, you may
download a copy from the MML website
here.
The
trail consists of 11 MML Districts (regions).
The MML Geocache Trail project will launch January 1, 2009 with 78
participating cities and towns. A trackable geo coin will be given
to the first 500 geocachers as an incentive for locating at least 2
municipal caches in each of the 11 districts. To be eligible for
the coin, geocachers must pick up a Passport at any of the
designated county visitor centers. Geocachers must use the stamp in
the cache on their Passports and write down the cache code word
listed in each cache. After at least two municipal caches in each
district are discovered, geocachers may return to one of the county
visitor centers and have their Passports validated to receive their
collectable coin.
For a complete list of participating visitor centers visit the MML
web site at http://www.mdmunicipal.org/mmlhome/index.cfm or MGS web
site at www.mdgps.org.
Fresh air, rolling hills dotted with quilts of agricultural
patchwork, beautiful old Victorian homes, a historic downtown
business district, and friendly townsfolk are some of the
attributes that lure visitors to this quiet little country
town.
On the crest of Parr’s Ridge, at a peak height of approximately
830 feet, Mt. Airy rests on the highest point between Baltimore and
Braddock Heights. The town is unique in that it is made up of the
corner portions of four counties—Frederick, Carroll, Howard, and
Montgomery. Most of the town’s area lies in Frederick and Carroll
Counties.
Development of Mt. Airy began in the early 1830s when Henry
Bussard built the first house on what is now the town’s municipal
parking lot. Growth was sparked by the coming of the B&O
Railroad in 1831. In order for the trains to overcome the steep
slope of Parr’s Ridge (an impossible task for the locomotives of
the time), a series of four inclined planes (ramps) were
constructed, which the locomotives and cars negotiated with the
assistance of horses. The passengers disembarked and enjoyed the
scenery while this took place. The Plane #4 system, as it was
called, remained in use until 1839 when more powerful locomotives
became available.
Another factor in the growth of Mt. Airy was its proximity to
the National Pike, the early road from Baltimore to the west. Its
route—and the route of the old Indian trails it tended to
follow—was dictated by the availability of fresh drinking water,
which the Mt. Airy/Ridgeville watershed had in abundance from
Parr’s Spring, the headwaters of the Patapsco River.
The town grew up around the railroad and the wagon road, despite
setbacks dealt by three great fires that wiped out portions of the
town in 1903, 1914, and 1925. The town rebuilt each time, providing
a home for the milling, canning, and sewing industries that in
former times supported Mt. Airy’s economy.
Mt. Airy is host to four annual events—the May Fest in May, Flag
Day in June, Fall Festival in October, and Christmas in Olde Town
in December. The events are presented under the auspices of the
town with an all-volunteer staff of townspeople, indicative of the
overall civic pride that binds the residents, organizations, and
government of Mt. Airy.
This geocache is hidden, with approval, on the grounds of
historic Pine Grove Chapel, circa 1846; originally The Ridge
Presbyterian Church, which also served as a private school for the
first 20 years. Stones for the chapel were hauled to the site by
slaves owned by local property owners. The floor is the original
one laid in 1846. The benches are the ones first used in the old
Church, later used by Union soldiers as their only beds, and then
again as church pews. The pulpit is also intact.
During the Civil War, troops from Company K of the fourteenth
New Jersey Regiment were sent here to guard the railroad which was
used to carry northern troops and supplies to the southern
battlefields. The Church provided the soldiers sleeping quarters,
with a mess tent erected to the rear. A sick and delirious soldier
who wandered into Ridgeville and died, was the first person given a
Christian burial on the land to the rear of the church. (Above from
Mt. Airy Historical Society & MML publications.)
The Pine Grove Chapel is one of the most significant historic
structures preserved in Mount Airy and will continue to be a
highlight of tours taken in town. This location is a “Maryland
Civil War Trails Site”. Also please take note of the memorial
commemorating Mt. Airy residents who made the supreme sacrifice in
the service of their country.
The container you are seeking is a 1.7 qt. lock-n-lock,
containing the log book, pen, required cache code, Passport stamp,
and miscellaneous items related to the town. Please use care in
retrieving and replacing the container so as not to damage the
location where it is hidden.
Mt. Airy Thanks You for Visiting
Thanks to SharpShin for helping with this hide!
Thanks to the Maryland Geocaching Society for assisting
with this project!