Bravery on the James Multi-Cache

In the midst of a raging storm and flood, experienced boatman --and slave -- Frank Padget led four other men in a dramatic riverine rescue. He was never seen again.

In the era before railroads, the James River and its system of locks and canals were the lifeblood of commerce in Virginia. Flat-bottomed batteaux and other vessels carried cargo and passengers up and down the James, connecting the Valley with Richmond and the Atlantic ports beyond.

In January, 1854, the canal boat Clinton broke from its tow-rope and foundered in the raging, flooded James. After being dashed against the rapids of Balcony Falls, the battered hulk of the vessel - with some 40 survivors aboard - ran aground in the midst of the turbulent river.

Frank Padget, an old boatman and African-American slave, gathered four other men and led a rescue effort that succeeded in saving all but one of the survivors. When Padget and his crew ventured out into the river to rescue the last passenger of the doomed Clinton, his batteau foundered. Padget drowned that day in the James, trying in vain to save the last passenger.

Captain Edward Echols, an eyewitness to Padget's bravery, was so moved by his sacrifice that he erected a stone obelisk as a monument to the waterman's memory.

The cache is a two-stage multi-cache. The first stage is a brief stop at the historical marker on U.S. Route 501 overlooking the stretch of the James were the drama unfolded in 1854. The micro container here will reveal the coordinates of the final stage, the location of the memorial obelisk erected by Captain Echols. The final stage is an ammo can.

This cache is part of a series. The Gems of Rockbridge Geocaching Trail has been developed as part of an Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) grant to enhance the gateway communities along the 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway. The grant funds projects that promote sustainable tourism and enhance the local community while protecting the area's natural beauty and cultural heritage.

The Geocaching Trail consists of 10 strategically placed caches highlighting the natural beauty and cultural heritage of Rockbridge County. The first 200 geocachers who complete the trail will receive a commemorative coin featuring the Gems of Rockbridge Geocaching Trail on one side and the 75th Anniversary of the Blue Ridge Parkway on the other side.