-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(other)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
Non-traditional container located in the Hackett Hill Park off of East Market Street in the town of Hyde Park. The park is open from dawn until dusk. Please park only in designated parking lots. DO NOT park on Mill Road.
The cache is located near the intersection of the Woodland Trail (green) and the yellow trail. It is located off of the Woodland trail (green). There seem to be a couple of different ways to get to GZ, I will let you determine the "right" way. I have included a waypoint to the kiosk, which is also right near the main trailhead. Trails can get pretty wet here depending on which way that you travel so come prepared. Please place cache back EXACTLY as you found it, make sure the lid is on tight, and reseal the ziploc. The container has room for some small trade items, small TB's, and Geocoins. It has a log book, a pen, and a pencil.
TAKEN FROM KIOSK:
For over a century this area was “Guinea”, a settlement built by free African Americans and fugitive slaves on small farm lots near Crum Elbow Creek. First established in the late 1700’s, the Guinea community included as many as sixty families at its peak. It was named “Guinea” after the part of the West African coast believed to be the home of their ancestors.
Recent research reveals the lives of men like Primus Martin and his wife “Betty Prime”, who farmed a portion of today’s Hackett Hill in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. The Martin’s farm was regarded as remarkably industrious and Primus Martin, a free African American, was a community leader. In addition to farming, many Guinea residents worked in the large estates closer to the Hudson River, as well as in the mills along the creek. They also worked small rock quarries which still stand nearby.
Freedonia Lane passes through the middle of the park. It was once a well-traveled road that provided a link with the riverfront hamlet, with its churches and estates, as well as to the nearby mills. A dirt track lined with stone walls, Freedonia Lane still looks much as it did in the 1800’s. Although it is maintained as a trail today, Freedonia Lane is still an official town road.
In the 1860’s, a prosperous local attorney named John Hackett began to buy land in this area, turning much of “Guinea” into Crum Elbow Farm. The Guinea community gradually dissolved, and for many years it was largely forgotten. The hilltop house was built in 1868, at a cost of $1,500. The farm raised cattle, horses, sheep, chickens, ducks, and geese, and employed as many as seven farmhands.
John Hackett founded a family law firm in Poughkeepsie that consisted of himself and later, his two sons, Henry and John Mulford. The Hacketts prospered as lawyers to the “River People”, the families of the large estates along the Hudson. Henry gained modest fame as Franklin D. Roosevelt’s lawyer and executor of his estate. John M. Hackett served in the State Assembly, where he introduced the bill to build the Mid-Hudson Bridge, which passed in 192X (the last number of the year is a clue for another cache in the area, "The Lost Colony of Guinea"- GC1HQXF. I have intentionally left it out so that I don't spoil the puzzle for people that plan on visiting it.). His wife, Charlotte Cunneen Hackett, was also an attorney. A philanthropist and lifelong supporter of Girl and Boy scouts, she deeded the property to the Boy scouts in 1969, dedicating it to the betterment of young people. The house was dubbed “Cunnett House” from the combination of Cunneen and Hackett. The town of Hyde Park purchased the property from the Boy Scouts in 1998.
Be sure to also visit the “Firefighter Paul Tegtmeier” memorial adjacent to the parking area. He was a part of Engine Company 4 and was tragically lost the morning of September 11, 2001. When Tower two collapsed, the exact whereabouts of Firefighter Paul Tegtmeier and the rest of Engine 26 were unknown. There is a piece of the World Trade Center there as well.
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)