. Photos by jcurtis55
INDIANA SPIRIT QUEST #669
"Indiana Governors - James Whitcomb"
This quest will bring you to the Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis. Crown Hill is the third largest public cemetery in the United States with over 188,000 burials. There are several other caches in Crown Hill cemetery. It would be quite easy to spend a day here. The grounds open at 8:00AM an close at either 5:00 or 6:00PM, depending on the time of year. I would advise you check the Crown Hill web site if you plan on visiting late in the afternoon.
The posted coordinates will take you to the headstone for James Whitcomb, the 8th Governor of Indiana. Whitcomb was originally buried in Greenlawn Cemetery, but his family had his grave moved to Crown Hill, where he is buried near fellow governor, Oliver P Morton and the National Cemetery.
Governor Whitcomb's Grave
Born in Vermont in 1795, Whitcomb's family moved to Cincinnati when James was 11. There he worked on the farm, but was known to be a book worm and he became an accomplished musician, playing the violin. After graduation he attended Transylvania University in Lexington Kentucky. He stayed in Lexington after getting his degree to prepare for the bar exam, which he passed. In 1824 he moved to Bloomington Indiana, practicing law there.
Whitcomb's life in public service began in 1826 when he was appointed to the position of prosecuting attorney for the 5th judicial district which required him to travel to 15 of the 51 counties the state had at the time. He served in this position for 3 years before becoming a member of the Indiana state senate. He served there until 1836, before being appointed as the Commissioner of the General Land Office by President Andrew Jackson. While serving in this position he learned Spanish and French so he could review the many treaties being signed at the time.
He left his National position and moved to Terre Haute in 1841. In 1843 he wrote a popular pamplet speaking out against protective tarrifs. This was widely read and the notoriety undoubtedly helped in his run for Governor in 1843. Another key issue in the 1843 gubernational race was the financial crisis the state found itself in. The state has passed a massive internal improvement bill in the 30s when Whitcomb was a state senator. The bill led to massive debt that was to be used to build canals and roads. All but the Wabash and Erie Canal were incomplete and by 1841 the state could not even maintain the interest payments on the debt.
The Whig party had been in power when the internal improvement bill was passed, and this helped Whitcomb and the Democrats win the governor's race in 1843.Whitcomb was able to renogiate the debt, letting the debtors take over the various projects. The canal in downtown Indianapolis was one of the canals created as part of this project. He sold the Wabash and Erie Canal to settle 50% of the state debt.
Whitcomb's term in office saw many major achievements. Some of these include the following items:
-- Saved the state from brankruptcy --
-- Created a state hospital for the insane --
-- Create an asylum and school for the deaf and dumb --
-- Pushed through legislation for public education --
-- Raised 5 regiments to meet Indiana's quota for the Mexican-American War despite lack of funds and a militia --
Whitcomb won re-election in 1846. At that time the term in office for governor was 3 years. He served two years of his second term before resigning to become one of Indiana's Senators in Washington. Unfortunately, he became ill and missed most of the Senate sessions. He died in 1852 from his kidney disease. He left his substantial library to Depauw University, where it is said to be haunted.
On a side note, the famous Indiana poet, James Whitcomb Riley was named for Governor Whitcomb.
This puzzle is a bit different than my other puzzle caches in Crown Hill. Governor Whitcomb's headstone appears to be made from softer stone than some, and years of weather have left the headstone very difficult to read. Therefore, you will have to do a bit of research to come up with the final coordinates. The final coordinates are:
N39 49.ABC W086 10.DEF
A = Year Whitcomb graduated from Transylvania University - 1815
B = Year he became Commissioner of the General Land Office - 1834
C = Number of votes he defeated Samuel Bigger by in 1843 - 2057
D = Number of children born to Whitcomb and wife Mary Hurst
E = Day of Month Whitcomb was knighted as a Mason - 20
F = Day of the month when Whitcomb died - 1
Cache is now one of our "grasshopper" containers.