Maryland Municipal League Geotrail - Sykesville Traditional Cache

This cache has been archived.

MML Geotrail: Thanks to everyone who participated and helped with the MML Geotrail.
The geocoin promotion has now ended but look for another MML Geocache project in the future.

Thanks,
Calvertcachers

More
Hidden : 12/31/2008
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size: regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:


The Maryland Municipal League Geocache Trail
Celebrating Maryland’s Cities and Towns.
MML District 11

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.






In historic downtown Sykesville, you will find newly restored buildings, an ex-B&O interlocking tower, which now serves as the town's information center, and a model train display in an old railway car behind the information center.

This cache is in a new park located off of Rte 32 north east of downtown Sykesville across from the old Warfield complex of Springfield State Hospital which is currently undergoing renovation. The park has a 3/4 mile paved walk/bike path.

The history of Sykesville began in 1825 when James Sykes, for whom the town is named, purchased 1,000 acres of land from his friend George Patterson. George’s father was a wealthy Baltimore shipbuilder and owner of a 3,000-acre estate where today the Springfield Hospital Center stands; his sister, Elizabeth (Betsy) Patterson, had married Jerome Bonaparte, Napoleon’s brother in 1803.

When the B&O Railroad extended its line to Sykesville in 1831, Sykes constructed a 5-story stone hotel with 47 rooms. Other buildings in the town at that time included two general-merchandise stores, mills, churches, and a post office. Sykesville soon was a booming commercial center and tourist resort; it was a favorite place for Baltimore families to go to escape the summer heat.

Sykesville flourished for the next 100 years, its greatest growth occurring between 1890 and 1920. Like many small towns after World War II, though, Sykesville went into a steady decline and was nearly forgotten when the Route 32 bypass was built around the town. The period of decay continued until 1985 when people began to take an interest in the town as an alternative place to live and conduct business.

Although small in size compared to others, Sykesville’s Main Street is quaint and diversified, and despite tremendous recent growth, Sykesville maintains a charming small-town character, enhanced by an engaging and historic Main Street, the serene Patapsco River, and magnificent end-of-the-19th-century architecture.

The Town of Sykesville thanks you for visiting!



Thanks to Trainbug for helping with this hide!






Thanks to the Maryland Geocaching Society for assisting with this project!

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Haqre n cvyr bs qrnq oenapurf nybat na byq srapr yvar.

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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