John Blue House Traditional Cache
Hidden : 2/8/2009
Difficulty:
2.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size: micro (micro)

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Geocache Description:


Take a walk back in time to an era of local history spanning over 200 years on the grounds of the John Blue House in Laurinburg, North Carolina.



This beautifully restored 1890s structure was home to one of Scotland County’s most famous residents. This self-educated inventor had a major impact in farming through the creation of the first cotton stalk cutter and the revolutionary John Blue Cotton Planter. John Blue was inspired by a Mississippi river boat when he designed this house in the 1890's. It has since been restored to its former grandeur. The interior is refurnished with period furnishings from the parlor, formal dining room, and bedrooms. Each room in the house has an exterior door with beautiful stained glass.

The grounds of the John Blue House are also the home of several historic buildings:

  • The Jones-Lytch Cabin (circa 1800's).

    It has been converted into an early cotton museum featuring an early hand-operated cotton gin, an antique loom, cotton samples, and other displays that trace the early production and use of cotton in Scotland County. Also in the cabin are examples of John Blue's early inventions.

    Other cabins on the grounds include the Shaw Cabin (circa early 1800's), the McNeill Cabin (circa mid 1800's), and the Ferguson Study (circa 1890's)



    • A.D. Gibson Store (Circa late 1800's).

    The store was moved to the site and restored. The interior displays tools and products from days past. The soda fountain is from the old Legion Drug Store in Laurinburg.There is also an early physician's office with implements from early Scotland County doctors.



    • The Chisholm Cotton Gin.



    This pre-Civil War mule powered cotton gin is believed to be one of the oldest in existence. The gin was originally located near Hemingway, South Carolina and was heavily damaged by Hurricane Hugo in 1989. The remnants were carefully dismantled and brought to Laurinburg where the gin was restored using antique tools.

    Located beside the gin is a replica of an antique mule-powered cotton press. The cotton press was used to bale ginned cotton. Both the gin and the press are fully restored and functional.



    • Historical Museum of Scotland County.


    Across from the John Blue House is the Historical Museum of Scotland County. Many of the items on display in this museum were donated by Lindo Harvell, a prominent local citizen and collector. Before he passed away a few years ago, many of these items were on display in a smaller museum located next to his house in the downtown area. Featured in the museum are Laurinburg's second motorized fire truck, a 1927 White (the first was sold for scrap to assist in world War II), a 1905 Maxwell, the oldest known to be able to run, an assortment of antique 'hit and miss' engines that were used to power farm implements and textile mills, two antique tractors, and other machines and items from years ago.



    • old saw mill

    • a half mile, 18 gauge railroad






    The cache is a small container and is located outside of the fence and in the adjacent parking lot. There is no need to enter the fence to find the cache unless you just want to look around. This historic complex is the home of the annual John Blue Cotton Festival, which is held the second weekend in October. Tours of the house are available on Tuesday through Friday from 10-12 and 1-4

    Also, please do not look for this cache at night!


    Happy Caching!!

    Additional Hints (Decrypt)

    abg ba gur genva

    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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